System and method for monitoring and controlling a fire suppression system

ABSTRACT

A system to mitigate false trips of a valve that supplies water to a piping system in a fire suppression system includes at least one edge device, a control circuit, and at least one user device. The at least one edge device monitors a parameter corresponding to at least one of a corrosion, a presence of water, a differential pressure across the valve, and a temperature in the piping system of the fire suppression system. The control circuit includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the control circuit to receive an indication of the parameter monitored by the at least one edge device, predict whether a valve tripping event is expected to occur based on the received indication, and in response to predicting that the valve tripping event is expected to occur, provide the prediction that the valve tripping event can occur for remedial action. The at least one user device presents display data regarding the prediction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/252,254, filed Jan. 18, 2019, which claims the benefit of andpriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/620,680, titled “SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING A FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM,”filed Jan. 23, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

An automatic sprinkler system has sprinklers that are activated once theambient temperature in an environment, such as a room or a building,exceeds a predetermined value. Once activated, the sprinklers distributefire-extinguishing fluid, such as water, in the room or building.

SUMMARY

Various aspects relate to systems and methods of remote monitoring offire suppression systems, such as to prevent or mitigate false trips infire suppression systems. Process and corrosion data of a firesuppression system and be measured and calculated, and transmitted to acentral location where the data is processed for diagnostics purposes.The data can be gathered by at least one edge device which is installedon the fire suppression system in multiple locations to capture theprocess and/or corrosion data.

The system can include at least one edge device that monitors parametersrelated to at least one of a corrosion, a presence of water, adifferential pressure across the valve, and a temperature in the pipingsystem of the fire suppression system. The system can include a controlcircuit that receives information related to the monitored parametersand predicts whether the valve tripping event can occur based on thereceived information. In response to a prediction that the valvetripping event can occur, the prediction that the valve tripping eventcan occur can be provided for remedial action. The system can include atleast one user device to display information related to the predictionand a communication network to exchange information between the at leastone edge device and the at least one user device. In some embodiments,the control circuit is incorporated into the at least one edge device.The control circuit can be disposed remotely from the at least one edgedevice and the at least one edge device transmits the informationrelated to the monitored parameters to the control circuit via thecommunication network.

The system can include at least one corrosion monitoring device tomeasure an electrical characteristic of a coupon disposed in a pipe ofthe fire suppression system, where the coupon corrodes at a rate thatcan be correlated to at least one of a rate of corrosion and a level ofcorrosion of a wall of the pipe. For the corrosion monitoring device,the remedial action can cause the fire suppression system to operate inan off-line mode based on the at least one of a rate of corrosion and alevel of corrosion of a wall of the pipe. In some embodiments, thesystem includes at least one low point monitoring device to measure acontinuity between a probe and predetermined point on the piping systemto determine a presence of water at a low point in the piping system ofthe fire suppression system. For the low point monitoring device, theremedial action can drain the water from the low point of the pipingsystem based on the presence of water at the low point. In someembodiments, the system includes at least one differential pressuremonitoring device to measure water pressure at the input of the valveand air pressure at the outlet of the valve to determine a ratio betweenthe water pressure and the air pressure. For the differential pressuremonitoring device, the remedial action can adjust at least one of thewater pressure, the air pressure and a setting affecting an air pressurealarm for the valve tripping event based on the determined ratio. Thesystem can include at least one temperature monitoring device to measurea temperature of at least one of water in the piping system and anambient temperature to determine whether water in the piping system canfreeze, and, for the temperature monitoring device, the remedial actiondrains the water from the piping system based on the determination thatthe water in the piping system can freeze. The remedial action can beperformed automatically.

In some embodiments, the communication network can include a firstnetwork and a second network, and the system includes a gateway tocommunicate with the at least one edge device using the first networkand to communicate with the at least one user device using the secondnetwork. The first network can be a wireless network and the secondnetwork can be at least one of a cellular network and an InternetProtocol (IP)-based network. The at least one user device displays theinformation related to the prediction via at least one of a webbrowser-based dashboard display and an app-based dashboard display.

At least one aspect relates to a system to mitigate false trips of avalve that supplies water to a piping system in a fire suppressionsystem. The system includes at least one edge device, a control circuit,and at least one user device. The at least one edge device monitors aparameter corresponding to at least one of a corrosion, a presence ofwater, a differential pressure across the valve, and a temperature inthe piping system of the fire suppression system. The control circuitincludes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the control circuitto receive an indication of the parameter monitored by the at least oneedge device, predict whether a valve tripping event is expected to occurbased on the received indication, and in response to predicting that thevalve tripping event is expected to occur, provide the prediction thatthe valve tripping event can occur for remedial action. The at least oneuser device presents display data regarding the prediction.

At least one aspect relates to a method of mitigating false trips of avalve supplying water to a piping system in a fire suppression system.The method includes monitoring parameters related to at least one of acorrosion, a presence of water, a differential pressure across thevalve, and a temperature in the piping system of the fire suppressionsystem and predicting whether a valve tripping event can occur based onthe monitored parameters. In response to a prediction that the valvetripping event can occur, the method can include providing theprediction for remedial action and transmitting information related tothe prediction for display on at least one user device using acommunication network. The remedial action can be performedautomatically.

At least one aspect relates to a method for mitigating false trips of avalve supplying water to a piping system in a fire suppression system.The method includes monitoring a parameter corresponding to at least oneof a corrosion, a presence of water, a differential pressure across thevalve, and a temperature in the piping system of the fire suppressionsystem, predicting whether a valve tripping event is expected to occurbased on the monitored parameter, and in response to predicting that thevalve tripping event is expected to occur, providing a prediction thatvalve tripping event is expected to occur for remedial action andtransmitting data corresponding to the prediction for display on atleast one user device using a communication network.

In some embodiments, the monitored information includes corrosioninformation based on measuring an electrical characteristic of a coupondisposed in a pipe of the fire suppression system, where the couponconfigured to corrode at a rate that can be correlated to at least oneof a rate of corrosion and a level of corrosion of a wall of the pipe.When corrosion is monitored, the remedial action can include placing thefire suppression system in an off-line mode based on the at least one ofa rate of corrosion and a level of corrosion of a wall of the pipe. Insome embodiments, the monitored information is based on measuring acontinuity between a probe and predetermined point on the piping systemto determine a presence of water at a low point in the piping system ofthe fire suppression system, and the remedial action includes drainingthe water from the low point of the piping system based on determiningthe presence of water at the low point. In some embodiments, themonitored information is based on measuring water pressure at the inputof the valve and air pressure at the outlet of the valve to determine aratio between the water pressure and the air pressure, and the remedialaction includes adjusting at least one of the water pressure, the airpressure and a setting affecting an air pressure alarm for the valvetripping event based on the determined ratio. In some embodiments, themonitored information includes measuring a temperature of at least oneof water in the piping system and an ambient temperature to determinewhether water in the piping system can freeze, and the remedial actionincludes draining the water from the piping system based on determiningthat the water in the piping system could freeze.

The communication network can include a first network and a secondnetwork, and the transmitting the information related to the predictionincludes transferring the information to a gateway using the firstnetwork and transferring the information from the gateway to the atleast one user device using the second network. The first network can bea wireless network and the second network can be at least one of acellular network and an IP-based network. In some embodiments, theinformation related to the prediction is presented to a user using atleast one of a web browser-based dashboard display and an app-baseddashboard display.

These and other aspects and implementations are discussed in detailbelow. The foregoing information and the following detailed descriptioninclude illustrative examples of various aspects and implementations,and provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature andcharacter of the claimed aspects and implementations. The drawingsprovide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Likereference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate likeelements. For purposes of clarity, not every component can be labeled inevery drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is schematic system diagram of a fire protection system in anunactuated ready state with edge devices.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a corrosion monitoring sensor assembly.

FIG. 2B is a side view of a corrosion monitoring sensor assembly.

FIG. 2C is a top view of a corrosion monitoring sensor assembly.

FIG. 2D is a side cross-sectional view of a corrosion monitoring sensorassembly.

FIG. 3 is a block schematic view of a corrosion monitoring device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a relay circuit of a corrosion monitoringdevice.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of determining when a freeze alertshould be issued to be executed by a temperature monitoring circuit ofan edge device.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict an arrangement of a corrosion monitoring devicein dry-pipe and wet-pipe systems, respectively.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a low point monitoring sensor assembly.

FIG. 7B is a side view of a low point monitoring sensor assembly of FIG.7A.

FIG. 7C is a top view of a low point monitoring sensor assembly of FIG.7A.

FIG. 7D is a side cross-sectional view of a low point monitoring sensorassembly of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a block schematic view of a low point monitoring device.

FIG. 9 is a block schematic view of a dry pipe valve differentialpressure monitoring device.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method of determining when low airpressure alert should be issued to be executed by a differentialpressure detector circuit of an edge device.

FIG. 11 is an example of an operating environment in which an edgedevice can be utilized.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a set of components within a localprocessing unit associated with a corrosion monitoring system and agateway unit capable of receiving transmissions from one or more localprocessing units.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a set of components within amonitoring platform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to monitoring and controlling afire suppression system. More particularly, the present disclosurerelates to systems and methods of preventing or mitigating false tripsof a fire sprinkler system.

A fire sprinkler system, depending on its specified configuration, isconsidered effective if it controls or suppresses a fire. The sprinklersystem can be provided with a water supply (e.g., a reservoir or amunicipal water supply). Such supply may be separate from that used by afire department. Regardless of the type of supply, the sprinkler systemis provided with a main that enters the building to supply a riser.Connected at the riser are valves, meters, and, for example, an alarm tosound when the system activates. Downstream of the riser, a usuallyhorizontally disposed array of pipes extends throughout the firecompartment in the building. Other risers may feed distribution networksto systems in adjacent fire compartments. The sprinkler system can beprovided in various configurations. In a wet-pipe system, used forexample, in buildings having heated spaces for piping branch lines, allthe system pipes contain a fire-fighting liquid, such as, water forimmediate release through any sprinkler that is activated. In a dry-pipesystem, used in for example, unheated areas, areas exposed to freezing,or areas where water leakage or unintended water discharge is normallyundesirable or unacceptable such as, for example, a residentialoccupancy, the pipes, risers, and feed mains, branch lines and otherdistribution pipes of the fire protection system may contain a dry gas(air or nitrogen or mixtures thereof) under pressure when the system isin a stand-by or unactuated condition. A valve is used to separate thepipes that contain the water from the portions of the system thatcontain the dry gas. When heat from a fire activates a sprinkler, thegas escapes from the branch lines and the dry-pipe valve trips oractuates; water enters branch lines; and firefighting begins as thesprinkler distributes the water.

Dry-pipe systems have differential dry pipe fire protection valves thatrequire a minimum pressure differential of air to water to remainclosed. For example, some dry-pipe fire protection valves require awater pressure to air pressure ratio of 5.5 to maintain the valve in aclosed position. However, in a typical system, water pressurefluctuations can only be estimated which can make it difficult toaccurately specify a minimum required air pressure. Typically, a low airpressure alarm device is used to monitor air pressure in the system andthe alarm device is set at a fixed pressure threshold derived from atable. The low threshold pressure setting typically includes a safetyfactor to account for pressure fluctuations in the fire system. The lowair pressure alarm device activates when the system air pressure dropsbelow the low pressure threshold, which is manually set at the time ofinstallation of the fire suppression system. Because the system airpressure keeps the fire protection valve closed, the alarm alerts anoperator that the fire suppression system could trip if the reason forthe low air pressure is not addressed.

A drawback of this method is that inadvertent dry pipe valve operation,i.e., false trips, has been observed without the indication of low airpressure in the system and/or a rapid drop in air pressure that isunrelated to a fire. Such false trips of the fire suppression system canoccur because water pressure fluctuations on the upstream side of thefire protection valve can vary greatly from one system to another andfrom one day to another. It is possible for the water pressure tofluctuate outside of the estimated range leading to a situation wherethe system air pressure is not adequate to keep the valve closed, butthe operator is also not alerted of this situation with a low air alarm.

In addition, false trips can occur in dry-type fire suppression systemsdue to leaks in the fire sprinkler piping that rapidly drop the airpressure before corrective action can be taken. Air leaks can occur whena pipe or valve ruptures due to water freezing or when a pipe wall hascorroded to a point that it cannot hold the air pressure. Currently,fire suppression system problems are typically dealt with in a reactiveway. That is, corrective action is taken only after a system failure ora false trip occurs and there is a lack of information concerning theevents leading to the system failure or false trip. Related art systemslack the capability to provide information for on-line diagnostics offire system parameters to analyze system failures or false trips thathave occurred and to prevent or mitigate future system failures andfalse trips of the fire suppression system.

Systems and methods of the present disclosure can prevent or mitigatefalse trips in fire suppression systems. Systems and methods of thepresent disclosure can measure and calculate process and corrosion dataof a fire suppression system, and transmit the data to a centrallocation where the data is processed for diagnostics purposes. The datacan be measured by at least one “edge device” which is installed on thefire suppression system in multiple locations to capture the processand/or corrosion data. “Edge device” as used herein means a datagathering instrument or other device disposed on-site, e.g., disposed inthe building housing the fire suppression system as opposed to a datagathering device on a cloud or a backend server. The edge device can bea corrosion monitoring device, a low point monitoring device, a valvepressure monitoring device, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 1 depicts a dry pipe fire protection sprinkler system 10 equippedwith a differential-type dry pipe valve 20. A dry pipe fire protectionsprinkler system 10 can protect a warehouse or other structure locatedin a geographical region that can be subject to temperatures belowfreezing and having unheated areas that must be protected against fire.The system 10 includes a dry pipe valve 20 with an outlet that isconnected to a piping system 50. The piping system 50 includes spacedfire sprinkler heads 55 extending throughout piping system 50 to protectthe warehouse or other structure. The dry pipe valve 20 can be locatedwithin an enclosure that is heated to protect against freezing. Becausethe piping system 50 can be filled with air or other gas, e.g.,nitrogen, the piping system 50 can be disposed in unheated areas of thewarehouse or structure. Air or other gases, such as nitrogen, can beused as the gas. Water or other types of fire suppressant, such aschemical suppressant, can be used as the fire suppressant. Systems andmethods described herein can be applied to wet pipe systems.

The inlet of the dry pipe valve 20 can be connected to a reliableexternal source of water 15, e.g. a city main through a fire main. Asdepicted in FIG. 1 , the water from the external water source 15 is sentto a riser 17 that is connected to a main control valve 12, which isopened to provide water to the inlet of the dry pipe valve 20. Thesystem in FIG. 1 is depicted in the ready state. In the presence of afire, one or more of the sprinklers 55 will open automatically inresponse to the local fire temperature. The open sprinkler will resultin a reduction of air pressure within the piping system 50 (and withinthe air-side chamber 20 a of the dry pipe valve 20). The loss of airpressure will open the clapper 20 b of the dry pipe valve 20 to permitwater to flow through the piping system 50 and out the open sprinkler(s)55. As the piping system 50 fills with water, a water motor alarm (notshown) and/or a water pressure alarm 24 provides an external notice thatthe fire suppression system has been activated. Once the fire has beenextinguished, water flow to the piping system 50 is discontinued byclosing the main control valve 12. Once the flow of water from thesource 15 is stopped, the piping system 50 can be drained by opening themain drain valve 14 and the lower body drain valve 16. During this time,the clapper 20 b is latched open so that the system can be drained. Oncedrained, the clapper 20 b is allowed to return to its closed position bydepressing the reset knob 20 c. After any open sprinkler has beenreplaced, the piping system 50 is recharged with air or another gas,e.g., nitrogen, through valve 26. Once charged, water flow to the inletof the dry pipe valve 20 is restored by opening the main control valve12 and thereby placing the fire suppression system back in a readystate.

During the ready state, to maintain the clapper 20 b in a closedposition against the water supply pressure from water source 15, thedischarge side of the dry pipe valve 20 can be pressurized with air suchthat a ratio of the water pressure to the air pressure satisfies apredetermined ratio value, which will be dependent on the design of thedry pipe valve. For example, the ratio between the water pressure andthe air pressure can be in a range of 4 to 7, such as 5.5. By settingthe ratio between the water pressure and the air pressure at thepredetermined value, the clapper 20 b of the dry pipe valve 20 canmaintain a seal around the seat of the dry pipe valve 20 and preventwater from entering the piping system 50. Fire suppression systems canhave a water pressure value that is in a range of 55 to 330 psi, whichmeans that the air pressure should have a value in a range of 10 to 60psi. As an added safety factor to account for fluctuations in the airand water pressures, the air pressure can be further increased by anoffset, e.g., 5-15 psi, beyond that needed to maintain the predeterminedratio value. In order ensure the fire suppression system activates in atimely manner to minimize the damage due to the fire, the additionaloffset may be kept as low as possible.

As discussed above, in dry type fire suppression systems, when operatingas designed, a break in a sprinkler 55 due to a fire can result in adrop of air pressure in the piping system 50 and cause the clapper 20 bto operate and send water out the broken sprinkler via the piping system50. However, it is not uncommon for the fire suppression system to beactivated inadvertently, e.g., a false trip. This is because there canbe reasons other than a broken sprinkler for the air pressure in thepiping system 50 to drop to a point where the clapper 20 b operates indry type systems or for water pressure on the sprinkle side to drop inwet type systems. For example, in dry type systems, frozen water in thepipes can crack or break the pipe and create an air leak, the pipe wallscan corrode to a point where an air leak occurs, and/or the waterpressure can fluctuate and increase to a point where the air pressure isnot enough to keep the clapper 20 b closed. Similarly, in wet typesystems (not shown), frozen water in the pipes can crack or break thepipe and create water leak and/or the pipe walls can corrode to a pointwhere water leak occurs, which can create situations in which a falsetrip occurs. A false trip on the fire suppression system in either wettype or dry type can be very costly. For example, there can be damage toequipment and property due to water leaking from the cracks or breaks inthe piping and there are the additional costs associated with therepairs. However, even if the false trip did not initially occur due toa break in the piping (e.g., due to a fluctuation in the waterpressure), there can still be significant damage if the ambienttemperature is below freezing and the false trip results in a totalsystem freeze up.

Edge devices can be installed in various locations of the piping system50 to monitor for conditions that can lead to false trips. As seen inFIG. 1 , an edge device can be a corrosion monitoring (CM) device 100that can be disposed on a section of pipe to automatically provideregular updates on the corrosion status of the piping system 50. Asdiscussed further below, the corrosion monitoring device 100 can providewater detection and freeze detection capabilities. An edge device can bea low point monitoring (LPM) device 1100 that provides for waterdetection and/or freeze detection at predetermined locations on thepiping system 50. LPM devices 1100 can be disposed at one or more lowpoints in the piping system 50 where water can accumulate. The LPMdevice 1100 can be disposed on a drum drip 22. An edge device can be avalve differential pressure monitoring (DPM) device 2100 that canmonitor the air and water pressures to provide dynamic differentialpressure protection across the dry pipe valve 20. The valve DPM device2100 can monitor compressor air and/or dry pipe valve intermediatechamber air pressures in order to help identify conditions that can leadto a false trip of the fire suppression system. The valve DPM device2100 can monitor temperatures to provide freeze detection.

The CM device 100 can provide corrosion data, such as informationrelated to the current level of the corrosion and the rate of corrosionof a pipe in the piping system 50. The level of the corrosion of thepipe relates to the amount of corrosion the pipe has experienced (e.g.,weight loss per area, loss of thickness of the metal, or some othermeasure of corrosion). Measuring the rate of corrosion can help predictwhen a portion of the pipe wall will be so thin that there is highlikelihood of failure, e.g., leaks, and/or there could be a buildup thatcan cause blockage. Thus, measuring the rate of corrosion gives the useror business time to schedule maintenance instead of performing emergencymaintenance on the piping systems. Accordingly, collecting the level ofthe corrosion and the corrosion rates will also help notify the user orbusiness of potential problems caused by the corrosion such as, e.g.,problems like pipe leaks that can lead to the initiation of false trips.

In addition to the level and/or rate of corrosion, the temperature ofthe inside of the pipe in the piping system 50, ambient temperatureoutside the pipe being monitored, and/or the presence or absence ofwater in the pipe being monitored can also provide useful information.For example, collecting live temperature readings inside and outside thepipes of the piping system can aid in determining whether there is thepotential for the pipes to freeze, an issue that might go undetecteduntil a leak (or leaks) occurs that inadvertently activates the firesuppression system. In addition, in fire suppression systems, a frozenpipe can also impede the flow of water when the fire system isactivated, potentially leaving the fire sprinkler system useless.Further, the presence of water in a “dry” piping system can mean thereare potential maintenance issues (e.g., a leaking valve) that need to beresolved. Also, because dry type fire systems are typically used inareas that are unheated and experience freezing temperatures, thepresence of water can also mean a potential freezing issue that can leadto a broken pipe and loss of air pressure. Accordingly, along withdetermining the level and/or rate of corrosion, exemplary embodiments ofCM device 100 can also sense the temperature of the pipe in the pipingsystem 50, the ambient temperature, and/or the presence or absence ofwater in the pipe. In the case of a fire suppression system, determiningthe corrosion levels and/or rates, temperatures inside/outside a pipe inthe piping system, and/or the presence or absence of water in the pipewill help prevent or mitigate false trips and other problems in a firesuppression system.

An edge device can be a LPM device 1100 that monitors areas of thepiping system 50 that can collect water such as, e.g., low point drainslocated throughout the piping system 50. Low points are a typicalfeature built into dry type fire suppression systems and are placed inlocations to help drain water from the piping system after thesuppression system has been activated and/or to help drain accumulatedcondensation from the compressed air. These low points are often asource of issues for customers due to lack of maintenance (draining ofaccumulated water) and exposure to freezing temperatures. As indicatedabove, when a low point is full of water and exposed to freezingtemperatures the expanding ice will typically burst the piping and causea system trip (water flow). The LPM device 1100 can include a waterdetection sensor that monitors for the presence of water in a low pointof the piping system 50 in order to prevent or minimize false trips.When water is detected, an alert is automatically sent to a user and/orcorrective action is taken such as draining the pipe. Generally,however, water at a low point by itself may not be an immediate concern.A concern arises if there is a presence of water and the temperature ofthe pipe and/or ambient temperature indicates a possibility of the waterfreezing. The LPM device 1100 can include a pipe temperature sensor tomonitor the temperature of the pipe at the low point and/or an ambienttemperature sensor to monitor the surrounding ambient air.

The water detection sensor may not be used, and the edge device includesthe pipe temperature sensor and/or the ambient air temperature sensor.An alert or corrective action can be automatically initiated based onthe information from the water and/or temperature sensors to prevent orminimize false trips.

As discussed above, the fire suppression system maintains the ratiobetween the water pressure and the air pressure below a predeterminedvalue, e.g., below 5.5, to keep the dry pipe valve closed during normaloperation. However, fluctuations in the air and/or water pressures canlead to false trips of the fire suppression system. To monitor thedifferential pressures, can edge device can be a valve DPM device 2100that includes pressure sensors to monitor the water pressure and the airpressure on the dry pipe valve. A pressure sensor can be disposed on theinlet of the drip pipe valve to monitor the water pressure and apressure sensor is disposed at the outlet of the dry pipe valve tomonitor the air pressure. An alert or corrective action can beautomatically initiated based on the information from one or both of thepressure sensors to prevent or minimize false trips due to fluctuationsin air and/or water pressure. In some exemplary embodiments, the valveDPM device 2100 includes a pressure sensor to monitor the compressor airpressure and/or a pressure sensor to monitor the intermediate chamber ofthe dry pipe valve. In some embodiments, the valve DPM device 2100includes a temperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the waterand/or a temperature sensor to monitor the ambient air temperature.Appropriate alerts or corrective action can be automatically initiatedbased on the information from any combination of the pressure sensorsand/or the temperature sensor.

Each of the edge devices discussed above can be used independently orcoordinated with other edge devices. The functions of each type of edgedevice are described separately below for clarity. However, thefunctions of one type of edge device can be combined with some or all ofthe functions of another type of edge device. For example, the LPMdevice 1100 can incorporate some or all of the CM device 100 and/or thevalve DPM device, and similar functional combinations can be made forthe other types of edge devices. Systems and methods described hereincan be used to monitor corrosion, water presence, air and/or waterpressure, and/or temperatures in other types of equipment and systems.

The edge devices can communicate over a network, e.g., in a startopology, to transmit data either directly or indirectly (e.g., via alocal processing unit) to a gateway located on a customer's site, whichthen communicates with one or more remote computers and/or servers one.g., a cloud network. For example, information received by the gatewayfrom the edge devices can be transmitted via, e.g., a cellularconnection to e.g., a cloud database for storage. Custom softwarelocated on the gateway handles the edge device data and packages itappropriately with the required security credentials needed to transportthe data to the cloud. Once the data is transmitted to the cloud, thedata can be processed through various algorithms to determine the healthand status of the fire suppression system. If the health of the systemis determined to have an issue, pre-programmed notifications are issuedto alert a user of a current and/or a potential future problem such as,e.g., a false trip of the fire suppression system. In addition, dataand/or information from the edge devices and/or the servers can bedisplayed, e.g., on a system specific dashboard, for easy viewing ofcurrent data, historic data, and real-time status of system health.

The display can be a web browser-based and/or an app-based display on amobile device and/or a stationary computer. The data can be measuredperiodically by the edge devices and the measured data can betransmitted on a regular basis and/or by using some other criteria toconfirm that the edge device is functional and all measurements arecurrent.

The techniques introduced here for the functions performed by the edgedevices, such as, e.g., monitoring corrosion, water presence, waterpressure, air pressure, and/or temperature, can be embodied asspecial-purpose hardware (e.g., circuitry), as programmable circuitryappropriately programmed with software and/or firmware, or as acombination of special-purpose and programmable circuitry or hardware.For example, the edge devices can utilize a programmable microprocessormade by MultiTech MultiConnect® xDot™ that communicates over a LoRaWANnetwork. Hence, embodiments may include a machine-readable medium havingstored thereon instructions that may be used to program a computer (orother electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readablemedium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, opticaldisks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical disks,read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), erasableprogrammable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards,flash memory, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitablefor storing electronic instructions.

The gateway can be an off-the-shelf product that is able to communicatewith the edge devices via, e.g., over a LoRaWAN network using a LoRaprotocol. Data received from an edge device can include properidentification of the source of the data such that the gateway is ableto decipher a unique identifier number of the edge device, the datapayload, and a timestamp of when it received the data. Agent software inthe gateway can package the received data for transport over a networkto a remote server(s), e.g., a cloud. Application Programing Interfaces(APIs) can be used to ensure the data is transported properly and toverify that the data is from a trusted secured source. For example, thesoftware agent ensures that the data from the edge devices conforms tothe requirements of the cloud by using the cloud's APIs. In someembodiments, cellular technology is used to transmit the data from theedge devices to the cloud. Data from the edge devices can be transmittedusing a number of other methods such as, e.g., Ethernet, dial-up, etc.

The cloud platform can store data in a database for analysis and allowthe host to view the data and/or analysis results in real-time using,e.g., a web-based and/or an app-based dashboard. The cloud can include arules engine to autonomously analyze the data and/or information fromthe edge devices. Each edge device type can include its own data model,which describes the data inputs that the database will receive for thattype of system. Each data model is assigned a set of rules that willprocess the data from the data model and react to the analysisaccordingly. If any of the rules indicate a problem, an alertnotification is generated and sent to the user based on the priority ofthe problem. The notification can be sent via electronic communicationsuch as, e.g., E-mail, SMS, Push Notification, or some other electroniccommunication method. Notifications can be displayed on a user devicevia, e.g., a web dashboard to better understand what event is takingplace so that the user can take appropriate action to address theproblem event.

FIGS. 2A 2B, 2C, and 2D depict a corrosion monitoring sensor assembly102 that includes a plug insert 143 and a housing 144. The plug insert103 can be a separate component from housing 144 and is disposed in thehousing 144. The plug insert 143 can be secured in the housing 144 via apress fit or a threaded connection. The plug insert 143 and the housing144 can form an integral unit. The sensor or sensors of the sensorassembly 102 can be disposed in the plug insert 143. The plug insert 143can include one or more corrosion sensors having a geometric shape thatpermits determination of information relating to at least one of acorrosion level and a rate of corrosion of the monitored equipment basedon an electrical characteristic of the at least one corrosion sensor.The corrosion sensors can be coupon portions 106 that form at least partof wire loop 105. The ends of the wire loops 105 can be attached, e.g.,by soldering or another means of attachment, to wire leads that are thenrouted outside the housing 144 of the sensor assembly 102. Depending onthe type of sensor assembly, the plug 143 can include a temperaturesensor 120 to monitor the pipe temperature, an ambient temperaturesensor 125 (see FIG. 3 ), or any combination of the temperature sensors120 and 125 and the one or more corrosion sensors. The leads from thewire loops 105 and the temperature sensors 120 and 125 can be connectedto a monitoring circuit 104 as discussed below.

The plug insert 143 can have a low electrical conductivity and/or a lowthermal conductivity. The plug insert 143 can be made of a plastic. Insome embodiments, the plug insert 143 is composed of a thermosetmaterial, such as a thermoset material that is in compliance with theUnderwriter Laboratories (UL) standards concerning fire suppressionsystems. For example, the plug insert 143 can be composed of a siliconmaterial, urethane material, another type of thermoset material, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the plug insert 143 is made ofa thermoplastic such as an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)plastic. The composition of the plug insert 143 can be made of a metalor metal alloy, a thermoset plastic, a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or acombination thereof, as appropriate. The plug insert 143 and/or thehousing 144 can be made of a material that is non-conductiveelectrically. The plug insert 143 and/or the housing 144 can be made ofa material that is rated to at least 250 deg. F. The housing 144 can bein the shape of a threaded pipe plug with threads 146, such as the shapeof a standard threaded pipe plug. For example, the housing 144 can be inthe shape of a 1 inch National Pipe Thread (NPT) threaded pipe plug (orsome other standard pipe plug size) with a head portion 147 that ishexagonal in shape or some other shape that facilitates installationusing a tool (e.g., a hex socket). The housing 144, including headportion 147, can have various shapes as appropriate for the equipmentbeing monitored. The housing 4 can be made of a metal or a metal alloy,such as a metal or a metal alloy that is more resistant to corrosionthan the equipment being monitored. The housing 144 can be made of thesame material as the equipment being monitored. The composition of thehousing 144 can be made of a metal or metal alloy, a thermoset plastic,a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or a combination thereof, as appropriate. Insome embodiments, the housing 144 and the plug insert 143 are oneintegrated unit. The integrated housing 144 and plug insert 143 can beinjection molded. The composition of the integrated housing 144/plug 143is not limiting and can be made of a metal or metal alloy, a thermosetplastic, a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or a combination thereof, asappropriate. The housing 144 can be rated for the same or higherpressures and temperatures as the pipe. The housing 144 can be rated at2 to 3 times the operating pressure of the piping system 50. In the caseof piping systems for fire sprinklers, the equipment can operate from150 psi to 175 psi; for example, the housing 144 can be rated in a rangefrom 300 psi to 525 psi. For example, in a piping system for firesprinkler systems, the threaded pipe plug can be rated up to 400 psi.The housing 144 can be a pipe plug that is rated up to 1600 psi and, insome embodiments, up to 3000 psi.

When installed in the pipe, the coupon portions 106 a-106 d can beexposed to the internal environmental of the pipe (e.g., see pipe 150 inFIGS. 6A and 6B), so that the CM device 100 can monitor the rate ofcorrosion of the wall of the pipe as discussed in more detail below. Asdiscussed above, the corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 caninclude one or more wire loops 105 that are disposed in the plug insert143. FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate the corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102including four wire loops 105 a-105 d. The corrosion monitoring sensorassembly 102 can have any number of wire loops 105 such as, e.g., one,two, three, four, or more wire loops 105. Each of the wire loops 105a-105 d respectively can include a coupon portion 106 a-106 d that isconfigured to corrode. As depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B, at least thecoupon portion 106 a-106 d of each of the wire loops 105 a-105 d can beexposed to the same corrosive environment that the interior of the pipe150 is exposed to. The corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 can bemounted in a horizontal section of the pipe 150. The corrosionmonitoring sensor assembly 102 can be mounted in a vertical section ofthe pipe 150 and/or in a slanted section of the pipe 150. The couponportions 106 a-106 d can be elongated members having a length greaterthan a diameter. The coupon portions 106 a-106 d can be made of materialthat is the same as the equipment being monitored, e.g. the samematerial as the interior wall material of pipe 150, so that a rate ofcorrosion of the coupon portion 106 a-106 d matches a rate of corrosionof the pipe. For example, for a carbon-steel pipe, the coupon portions106 a-106 d can be made of the same carbon-steel material. For a blacksteel pipe, the coupon portions 106 a-106 d can be made of the sameblack steel material. In some embodiments, one or more of the couponportions 106 is not made of the same material as the pipe but is made ofa material where the level of corrosion of the coupon portion can stillbe correlated to the level of corrosion (e.g., weight loss per area,loss of thickness, or some other measure of corrosion) of the pipeand/or the rate of corrosion of the coupon portion can still becorrelated to the rate of corrosion (e.g., mpy or mmy) of the pipe. Inthe case of coated equipment such as coated pipes, the coupon portion106 is made of the base metal and is not coated so as to provide anearly indication of potential corrosion problems. In some embodiments,the coupon portion 106 can also be coated to match the coating on thepipe. For example, if the pipe being monitored is galvanized, the couponportion 106 can also be galvanized.

At least one coupon portion 106 has a different thickness or diameterthan the other coupon portions 106. In some embodiments, each of thecoupon portions 106 a-106 d has a different thickness or diameter thanthe other coupon portions 106. The shape or geometry of the couponportion 106 is not limiting so long as the measured level and/or rate ofcorrosion can be correlated to the level and/or rate of corrosion withrespect to a pertinent parameter of the pipe, e.g., the thickness of thepipe wall. For example, where the continuity of the coupon 106 is beingmonitored, e.g., whether the coupon 106 open circuited or not, the shapeor geometry of the coupon 106 can be such that the coupon portion 106loses continuity (e.g., opens) prior to the pipe 150 reaching anunsatisfactory state. For example, the coupon 106 can lose continuity(open) prior to the walls of the pipe 150 thinning to a point wherefailure has occurred or is imminent. The coupon portion 106 can have auniform shape with respect to the exposed surface area, e.g., a uniformthickness with respect to the exposed surface area. A geometric shape ofthe coupon portion 106 can include a portion having a constant diameter(uniform thickness) such as, e.g., a cylindrical shape. The orientationof the coupon portion 106 can be such that the entire surface area ofthe coupon portion 106 is exposed to the corrosive environment. Forexample, if there is not enough of a gap between the coupon portion 106and the top surface of the plug 143 and/or if there is not enough gapbetween a coupon portion 106 and another component (e.g., another couponportion, wall of the sensor assembly, or another component), as themetal from coupon portion 106 corrodes and migrates, a buildup of thecorroded material can potentially block (either partially or entirely)the coupon portion 106 from the corrosive environment. When this occurs,the coupon portion 106 can give false readings with respect to themonitored electrical characteristic. For example, the continuity canindicate closed when the coupon portion 106 is actually open. The couponportion 106 can be disposed or oriented such that the entire surfacearea of the coupon portion 106 remains exposed to the corrosiveenvironment for the life of the coupon portion 106.

Coupon portion 106 is not limited to a specific diameter or thickness.Generally, a smaller diameter/thickness coupon is used when a fastercorrosion reading is desired. The coupon portion 106 can have a diameteror thickness that is in a range from about 0.003 inches to 0.050 inches.At least one coupon portion 106 can have a surface area that isdifferent from the surface areas of the other coupon portions 106. Insome embodiments, each coupon portion has a surface area that isdifferent from the other coupon portions. A difference in the diameteror thickness of a given coupon portion 106 and a diameter or thicknessof the next larger coupon portion 106 is in a range from about 0.002inch to about 0.035 inch. When four coupon portions 106 a-106 d areused, the diameters or thickness of the coupons 106 can be within ±10%of 0.014 inch, 0.018 inch, 0.0347 inch, and 0.047 inch, respectively.The diameters and thickness can depend on the piping system beingmonitored, the required or preferred resolution on the level/rate ofcorrosion, the preferred notice time for the corrosion, or some othercriteria. For example, because a percentage change in the resistance ofa thinner coupon portion 106 will be greater than a thicker couponportion 106, if a user requires a higher resolution and/or an earlyalarm (early notice time) on the onset of any measurable corrosion, atleast one of the coupon portions 106 may be much thinner than the rest.

If a coupon portion 106 having the smallest thickness or diameter hascorroded to a point where the corresponding wire loop 105 open circuits(e.g., breaks), the other wire loops 105 can still be closed to providean indication of the level and/or rate of corrosion of the equipmentbeing monitored going forward. Accordingly, by providing coupon portions106 with different thicknesses or diameters, the control circuitconnected to the corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 (e.g., controlcircuit 104 discussed further below) can monitor the corrosion of thewall of pipe 150 over an extended period of time. That is, when onecoupon portion 106 breaks, a corrosion level and/or rate is calculated.Because their thicknesses or diameters are larger, the other couponportions 106 remain intact, and thus there is no need to immediatelyreplace the corrosion sensor assembly 102. The thickest coupon portion106 can be sized such that the sensor assembly 102 need not be replacedfor 10 to 15 years. This is advantageous for monitoring the piping infire systems, which typically last 50 to 100 years. By appropriatelyconfiguring the number and thicknesses/diameters of the coupons, thenumber of times a sensor assembly needs to be replaced can be minimized.The coupon portions 106 a-106 d cam be sized such that the lifetime ofthe corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 is approximately the sameas or longer than the lifetime of the equipment being monitored.

In some embodiments, the use of coupon portions 106 with differentthicknesses or diameters allows for the rate of corrosion to beprecisely tracked throughout the entire time period that the equipmentis being monitored. For example, the coupon portions 106 can be suchthat, as the thinnest of coupon portions 106 open circuits due tocorrosion or has reached a point where the change in resistance of thecoupon portion cannot be accurately correlated to the level and/or rateof corrosion of the equipment, the next thinnest of coupon portions 106reaches a thickness or diameter where the accuracy of the change inresistance readings is equal to or substantially equal to the originalthickness or diameter of the coupon portion that just open circuited.This process can continue for the remaining coupon portions 106. Thatis, the thickness or diameter of the next thinnest remaining couponportion 106 is the same or substantially the same as (e.g., within ±25%)the original thickness or diameter of the thinnest coupon portion 106.In this way, the control circuit monitoring the sensor assembly 102 canaccurately track the level and/or rate of corrosion of the equipmentbeing monitored over an extended period of time when compared to havingjust one wire loop 105 that is initially very thick. By accuratelymonitoring the corrosion rate over an extended period of time, anychange in the level and/or rate of corrosion can also be detected andbrought to a user's attention, if necessary, as the coupon portions 106corrode away.

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic block diagram of a CM device 100. The CMdevice 100 includes a sensor assembly 102 with corrosion sensors and/ortemperature sensors, as discussed above. The CM device 100 can include acontrol unit 104 that monitors the sensor assembly 102. As depicted inFIG. 3 , the control unit 104 can include a corrosion monitoring andconversion circuit 110. The corrosion sensors in sensor assembly 102 canbe coupon portions 106 that are configured to corrode at a rate that canbe correlated to a rate of corrosion of the monitored equipment. Thecorrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110 can monitor anelectrical characteristic of the coupon portion 106. In someembodiments, a change in the electrical characteristic is alsodetermined from a previously determined electrical characteristic. Thechange in the electrical characteristic can be a change in the actualvalue of the monitored electrical characteristic and/or a percentagechange in the value of the monitored electrical characteristic.

The corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110 can provide currentsthat respectively flow through coupon portions 106A-106D of therespective wire loops 105A-105D. In some embodiments, the corrosionmonitoring and conversation circuit 110 can include a corrosion detectorcircuit 132 to measure the electrical characteristic of the wire loop105 and/or the coupon 106 and determine information related to thecorrosion level and/or the rate of the equipment being monitored basedon the measured electrical characteristic. The electrical characteristicbeing monitored by the corrosion detector circuit 132 can be a voltageof the coupon portion 106 and the information being determined iswhether coupon portion 106 and thus wire loop 105 has continuity or not,e.g., still forms a closed loop or has open circuited. For example, FIG.4 depicts a relay circuit 130 that includes a voltage divider circuit162 that can be used for determining a corrosion state of the coupon106. The voltage divider circuit 162 includes relays K1-K4, a voltagesource providing a voltage V_(IN), and a reference resistor R_(REF1)having a known resistance. Reference resistor R_(REF1) also serves as apull-down resistor to keep the voltage V_(C) from floating when therespective coupon portion 106 has corroded open and/or when relays K1-K4are de-energized. Each relay K1-K4 can be operated, e.g., by amicroprocessor (not shown) or other circuit, which can be part of thecorrosion monitoring and conversation circuit 110. The microprocessor orother circuit can be part of the relay circuit 130. Each coupon portion106 a-106 d can be respectively connected to the contacts correspondingto relays K1-K4. The coupon portions 106 a-106 d can be selectivelyconnected. The coupon portions 106 a-106 d serve as the other “resistor”of the voltage divider circuit 162 when each relay K1-K4 is selectivelyoperated. Based on the relay K1-K4 that is operated, a predeterminedknown voltage V_(IN) is applied to one end of the corresponding couponportion 106 a-106 d and a voltage V_(C) can be read at the other end ofthe coupon portion 106 a-106 d. The voltage V_(C) can be transmitted toand measured by the detector circuit 132. For example, when relay K1 isenergized, a voltage V_(IN) is applied to one end of coupon portion 106a via terminal K1-3 of relay contact K1A, and the voltage V_(C) is readby corrosion detector circuit 132 via terminal K1-9 of relay contactK1B. Similarly, as relays K2-K4 are selectively energized, thecorresponding voltage V_(C) values for coupon portions 106 b-106 d aretransmitted to and read by corrosion detector circuit 132. The voltageV_(C) value measured by the corrosion detector circuit 132 is then readby the corrosion conversion circuit 134 to determine if the appropriatecoupon portion 106 has open circuited due to corrosion or if there isstill some continuity. The V_(IN) value can be predetermined and known.In some embodiments, the value of V_(IN) is stored in memory in themonitoring and conversion circuit 110 (or some other appropriate place)and accessible to the corrosion detector circuit 132 so that a separatemeasurement of V_(IN) is not required. In some embodiments, the V_(IN)value is measured by the corrosion detector circuit 132 when calculatingthe ratio V_(C)/V_(IN). In some embodiments, the stored value of V_(IN)can be updated either manually or automatically updated based on anyvariance in the V_(IN) value, e.g., due to the output of power source112 starting to drop. The corrosion detector circuit 132 can compare theratio V_(C)/V_(IN) to a predetermined value that corresponds to lack ofcontinuity, e.g., an open circuit. In some embodiments, the value ofV_(IN) is the same as the voltage supplied to the relay circuit 130 andthe analog to digital conversion circuit (ADC) in corrosion detectorcircuit 132. Because the same reference voltage is used for the ADC andthe relay circuit 130, the measure voltage V_(C) can be directlycompared to a predetermined value that corresponds to lack ofcontinuity, i.e., an open circuit.

For example, if the ratio is above the predetermined value, thecorrosion detector circuit 132 determines that the corresponding couponportion 106 has continuity, e.g., coupon portion 106 is not broken, andif the ratio is equal to or below the predetermined value, the corrosiondetector circuit 132 determines that the corresponding coupon portion106 is open, e.g., that the coupon portion 106 has corroded to a pointthat there is a complete physical break and the wire loop 105 has opencircuited. In some embodiments, the measured voltage V_(C) is directlycompared to a predetermined value. The predetermined value fordetermining whether there is an open circuit (whether for comparisonwith a ratio or directly to V_(C)) can be different based on whether thesensor assembly 102 is wet or dry. If wet (e.g., the sensor assembly 102is in water), a current can still flow through the water to complete thecurrent loop even after the coupon breaks, but V_(C) will be lower dueto the increased resistance of the current path through the water. Ifdry (e.g., the sensor assembly 102 is not in water), V_(C) will be zero.Accordingly, the predetermined value can depend on whether the sensorassembly 102 is wet or dry. In some embodiments, the predetermined valueis the same regardless of whether the sensor assembly 102 is wet or dry.The determination of whether coupon 106 has corroded open or not is usedin determining the level and/or rate of corrosion of the equipment beingmonitored. The determination of the level and/or rate of corrosion canbe done in the monitoring and conversion circuit 110 and/or on a remoteserver or computer.

A constant voltage drop can be provided across the respective couponportions 106 a-106 d and a current through the coupon portions 106 a-106d can be measured by the sensor assembly 102 to determine whether thereis an open circuit. When the coupon 106 breaks due to corrosion, thecurrent through the respective wire loop 105 can be lower or zero(depending on where the sensor assembly 102 is in water or not).Accordingly, in some embodiments, the measured current can be used todetermine whether the coupon 106 has corroded open. For example, a ratioof the measured current to a reference current (e.g., the currentthrough an un-corroded coupon) can be compared to a predetermined valueor the actual measured current can be compared to a predetermined value.A constant current can be transmitted (or attempted) through therespective coupon portions 106 a-106 d and a voltage drop across thewire loop 105 a-105 d and/or the respective coupon portion 106 a-106 dcan be measured to determine whether the coupon portion 106 has corrodedopen. A ratio of the measured voltage to a reference voltage (e.g., thevoltage across an un-corroded coupon) can be compared to a predeterminedvalue or the actual measured voltage can be compared to a predeterminedvalue. There may be a higher voltage drop across coupon 106 as comparedto an un-corroded coupon 106 when the coupon 106 has corroded open.

The measured voltage and/or current readings can be used to determinethe actual corrosion level and/or rate prior to the coupon portion 106corroding open. For example, a change in the voltage and/or currentmeasurements can be correlated to a change in the corrosion of thecoupon portion 106 (and thus the pipe) even before the coupon portion106 has corroded open.

In some embodiments, the electrical characteristic can be a resistancevalue. For example, the voltage and/or current measurements discussedabove can be used to determine a resistance value of the coupon 106,which can then be correlated to level and/or rate of corrosion of theequipment being monitored. For example, the corrosion detector circuit132 can be configured to determine a resistance of the coupon 106. Thecorrosion detector circuit 132 can be configured to output a currentthrough each of the wire loops 105A-105D. The corrosion detector circuit132 can include a sensor to sense the current through at least one wireloop 105 (e.g., via known current sensors). The corrosion detectorcircuit 132 can provide a constant or near constant voltage drop acrossthe coupon portions 106 a-106 d such that the respective current througheach of the loops 105A-105D varies in time based on the amount ofcorrosion the respective coupon portions 106 a-106 d have experienced.For example, the coupon portions 106 are configured to corrode suchthat, as the coupon portions 106 a-106 d corrode, the current througheach wire loop 105 a-105 d changes due to a decrease in thecross-sectional area of each coupon portion 106 a-106 d, which increasesthe resistance in the respective coupon portion 106 a-106 d. Based onthe sensed value or values of each coupon portion 106 a-106 d, thecorrosion detector circuit 132 (or another device such as monitoringplatform 230—see FIG. 11 ) can calculate respective resistance values ofthe coupon portions 106 a-106 d, which can include instantaneousresistance values and/or averaged resistance values. In someembodiments, the corrosion detector circuit 132 can keep the currentthrough each wire loop 105A-105D constant while sensing the voltage dropacross each coupon portion 106 a-106 d. The measured voltage drop canthen be correlated to a resistance value. The change in the resistancevalues can then be correlated to a level and/or rate of corrosion of theequipment being monitored.

The electrical characteristic can be an inductance value of the coupon106. For example, the coupon 106 can be in the shape of a coil or someother shape that is appropriate for measuring inductance and the powerto the coupon 106 can be an AC waveform (e.g., pulsed sinusoidal, etc.),a pulsed DC waveform, a stepped waveform, and/or another non-constantwaveform. As the coupon 106 corrodes, its inductance will change, andthe measured change in inductance is correlated to a level and/or rateof corrosion of the equipment being monitored.

Regardless of the type of electrical characteristic being measured orthe sensing method being used (sensed voltage or sensed current), thei²r heating of the coupon portions 106 a-106 d may not adversely affectthe calculations and/or is taken into account when determining theelectrical characteristic of the coupon portions 106 a-106 d.

As depicted in FIG. 3 , the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit110 includes a corrosion rate circuit 134 that receives the informationrelated to the corrosion level and/or the rate of the equipment beingmonitored from the corrosion detector circuit 132. Based on the receivedinformation, the corrosion rate circuit 134 correlates the informationregarding the electrical characteristic of the corrosion sensor 106 to alevel of the corrosion (e.g., weight loss per area, loss of thickness ofthe metal, or some other measure of corrosion) and/or a rate ofcorrosion (e.g., mpy or mmy) of the equipment being monitored, e.g., thewall of pipe 150. For example, if the corrosion detector circuit 132determines that a coupon portion 106 has opened, i.e., the continuity ofthe coupon portion has changed from having continuity to open (nocontinuity), the corrosion detector circuit 132 sends information to thecorrosion rate circuit 134 that the appropriate coupon portion 106 hasan open circuit status. The corrosion rate circuit 134 receives thestatus information from the corrosion detector circuit 132 andcalculates the corrosion weight loss for the appropriate coupon portion106. As an example, for a coupon portion having a 0.014 inch diameter, adensity of 7.85 grams/cm³, and an exposed area of 0.012 square inches,when the status of that coupon portion shows an open circuit, thecorrosion rate circuit 134 will determine that the weight loss of thecoupon portion is 0.005 grams. For each coupon size, the weight loss atthe time that the coupon portion 106 has an open status can bedetermined empirically. The corrosion rate circuit 134 can correlate theweight loss per area of the coupon portion 106 to the weight loss perarea of the equipment being monitored, e.g., the weight loss per area ofthe wall of pipe 150. These correlations can be determined empirically(e.g., the correlation between change in the electrical characteristicto the estimated loss of weight per area of the coupon portion and thecorrelation between the estimated loss of weight per area of the couponportion and the estimated loss of weight per area of the equipment canbe determined empirically). When the coupon portion 106 is made of thesame material as the equipment being monitored, the weight loss per areaof the coupon portion 106 will be the same (e.g., within ±25%) of theweight loss per area of the pipe, e.g., the wall of pipe 150. Based onthe calculated weight loss per area (either of the coupon portion 106 orthe pipe), in some embodiments, the corrosion rate circuit 134 cancalculate the corrosion rate (CR) in, e.g., mils per year (mpy) oranother measure. Based on the appropriate weight loss value (coupon orequipment) determined above, the corrosion rate (CR) of either thecoupon portion 106 or the equipment being monitored can be calculatedusing the equation: CR=(WL*K)/(D*A*ET); where WL is weight loss (e.g.,grams); D is alloy density (e.g., g/cm³); A is exposed area (e.g., in²,cm²); ET is exposure time (e.g., hours); and K is 5.34*10⁵ forcalculating mpy when A is in², 3.45*10⁶ for calculating mpy when A iscm², and 8.76*10⁴ for calculating mmy when A is cm². The exposure timeET can be based on a start time stamp corresponding to when the sensorassembly 102 is installed and an end time stamp corresponding to whenthe corrosion detector circuit 132 measured the electricalcharacteristic. The corrosion rate circuit 134 can categorize theseverity of the corrosion based on the calculated corrosion rate. Forexample, the corrosion rate circuit 134 can categorize a CR value inarrange from 0 to 3 mpy as “NORMAL CORROSION RATE,” a CR value in arange from above 3 to 5 mpy as an “INTERMEDIATE CORROSION RATE,” and aCR value in a range from above 5 mpy as an “ACCELERATED CORROSION RATE.”Of course, more or less categories can be used to classify the severityand other range values can be used for each category.

In some embodiments, the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110does not include corrosion rate circuit 134 and the corrosion level andcorrosion rate calculations discussed above are performed by anotherdevice such as, e.g., monitoring platform 230. The other device, e.g.,monitoring platform 230, can be implemented using a cloud networkingsystem and includes a computational engine to perform the corrosionlevel and corrosion rate calculations discussed above. In such cases,the measured electrical characteristic and/or a change in the measuredelectrical characteristic (or information related to the electricalcharacteristic) can be transmitted by control unit 104 to the otherdevice for processing. Whether performed by corrosion monitoring andconversion circuit 110 or an external device (e.g., monitoring platform230), the information related to electrical characteristic values,changes in the electrical characteristic values, corrosion level, and/orcorrosion rate is transmitted to a user. An indication of the severityof the corrosion rate can be presented to a user in text format (e.g.,NORMAL, INTERMEDIATE, ACCELERATED), as the actual value (e.g., in mpy ormmy), as a color indication (e.g., green for normal, yellow forintermediate, and red for accelerated) and/or using some otherindication. Depending on the severity of the corrosion rate and/orlevel, remedial action can be taken either manually by the operator orautomatically by the corrosion rate circuit 134 or by another device(e.g., monitoring platform 230) to prevent a false trip, such as, e.g.,placing the fire suppression system off-line until the corrosion problemis evaluated and/or corrected.

The weight loss can be calculated based on a change in an electricalcharacteristic other than continuity. For example, when resistance ofeach coupon portion 106 is being monitored, the corrosion rate circuit134 correlates the change in resistance values to a loss of weight(e.g., in grams) per area of the respective coupon portions 106. In someembodiments, when more than one wire loop 105 is used, the loss ofweight can be averaged over the number of wire loops 105. For example,the calculated change in resistance readings of the wire loops 105 canbe averaged. The corrosion rate circuit 134 can correlate the loss ofweight per area of the coupon portion 106 to an estimated loss of weightper area of the pipe, e.g., the loss of weight per area of the wall ofpipe 150. The correlations can be determined empirically (e.g., thecorrelation between change in resistance values to the estimated loss ofweight per area of the coupon and the correlation between the estimatedloss of weight per area of the coupon and the estimated loss of weightper area of the pipe). A change in a voltage measurement of the couponportion 106, a current measurement through coupon portion 106, and/or aninductance measurement of coupon portion 106 can be correlated to lossof weight per area of the coupon portion 106, which can then be used tocalculate the loss of weight per area of the pipe.

When more than one wire loop 106 is used, the level/rate of corrosioncalculated using the change in electrical characteristic of one couponportion 106 is compared to the level/rate of corrosion calculated usingthe other coupon portions 106, as a means to verify the accuracy of thelevel of corrosion and/or the rate of corrosion. For example, thecontinuity of the thinnest coupon portion 106 is compared to thecontinuity results of the other coupon portions for inconsistencies. Asan example, if the open circuit pattern deviates from the thinnestcoupon opening first to the thickest coupon opening last, an alert canbe initiated indicating that the corrosion readings may be unreliable.That is, if a coupon portion 106 indicates that it is open but a thinnercoupon portion 106 still indicates continuity, the corrosion monitoringand conversion circuit 110 (or another device) can be configured toinitiate an alert that the readings from corrosion monitoring sensorassembly 102 are unreliable. Electrical characteristic readings (e.g.,voltage, current, resistance, inductance, etc.) that are bad and/or aresuspect are ignored when calculating the change in the electricalcharacteristic for the coupon portions 106. For example, if thelevel/rate of corrosion calculated from monitoring coupon portion 106 ais different from the level/rate of corrosion calculated from monitoringcoupon portions 106 b-106 d by a predetermined amount, the monitoringdevice 100 can be configured to ignore the electrical characteristicreadings from coupon portion 106 a and keep monitoring the other couponportions, i.e., coupon portions 106 b-106 d in this case. The corrosionlevel and/or the corrosion rate can be determined in real time based onthe current and historical electrical characteristic readings.

As depicted in FIG. 3 , the monitoring device 100 can include atemperature sensor 120 in some exemplary embodiments. The temperaturesensor 120 can be disposed in corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102and senses the temperature of the corrosive environment. For example,temperature sensor 120 can sense the temperature of the inside of pipe150. The monitoring and conversion circuit 110 can include temperaturedetector circuit 136 a that receives the signal from temperature sensor120 and converts the sensor signal to a temperature value. Thetemperature sensor 120 can be e.g., a thermocouple, RTD, or a thermistor(NTC or PTC). In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 120 is a 10KNTC thermistor. The temperature value from sensor 120 can be read byappropriate circuitry in corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110or another device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) to predict potentialproblems due to the temperature, e.g., problems such as whether and whenany water in the pipe (e.g., pipe 150) will freeze.

In some embodiments, a second temperature sensor 125 senses the ambienttemperature outside the pipe. For example, the temperature sensor 125can sense the temperature of the ambient air surrounding the pipe 150.The temperature sensor 125 can be disposed in control unit 104, such asin the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110. In someembodiments, e.g., as depicted in FIG. 3 , the temperature sensor 125can be disposed outside the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit110. The temperature detector circuit 136 b can receive the signal fromtemperature sensor 125 and convert the sensor signal to a temperaturevalue. In some embodiments, similar to the temperature sensor 120, thesecond temperature sensor 125 can be disposed in the corrosionmonitoring sensor assembly 102 and arranged such that, while thetemperature sensor 120 senses the temperature of the corrosiveenvironment, e.g., inside the pipe 150, the second temperature sensor125 senses the ambient temperature, e.g. outside the pipe 150. Thetemperature sensor 125 can be e.g., a thermocouple, RTD, or a thermistor(NTC or PTC). In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 125 is a 10KNTC thermistor. By sensing both the temperature of the environment ofthe equipment being monitored and the ambient temperature (e.g., thetemperature inside and outside the pipe 150), the two temperatures canbe read and compared by appropriate circuitry in corrosion monitoringand conversion circuit 110 or another device (e.g., monitoring platform230) to predict potential problems in the equipment due to thetemperature, e.g., whether and when any water will freeze. For example,the monitoring and conversion circuit 110 or another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can predict whether there will be a failure ofpipe 150 (and thus the potential for a false trip of the firesuppression system) based on the temperature readings inside and/oroutside the pipe 150. For example, as depicted in the flow diagram 300in FIG. 5 , in step 310, the temperature monitoring circuit 140determines if the received equipment temperature (T_(E)) (e.g.,temperature inside pipe 150) measured by temperature sensor 120 is belowa predetermined temperature value T₁. If yes at step 310, thetemperature monitoring circuit 140 determines if the received ambienttemperature (T_(A)) from temperature sensor 125 is at or below T_(E) atstep 320. If yes at step 320, a freeze alert is issued by thetemperature monitoring circuit 140 at step 330. The freeze alert caninclude a timestamp and the value of temperatures T_(E) and T_(A). Thepredetermined temperature value T₁ can be in a range from 30 deg. F. to40 deg. F. The predetermined temperature value T₁ can depend on factorssuch as, e.g., the freezing point of the liquid in the piping system andthe altitude of the piping system. A temperature value selected fromnear the lower range (e.g., at or below freezing such as 30 deg. F.) canprovide a more reliable freeze alert but the time period to take actionbefore the equipment freezes can be very short. A temperature valueselected from near the upper range (e.g., well above freezing such as 40deg. F.) will provide more time to take action but the freeze alert maynot be as reliable as a lower value for T₁. If no at step 320, no actionis taken by the temperature monitoring circuit 140.

If no at step 310, e.g., T_(E) is above the predetermined temperaturevalue, the temperature monitoring circuit 140 determines if the receivedtemperature T_(A) is at or below the freezing point for the liquid inthe equipment being monitored, e.g., 32 deg. F., at step 340. If yes atstep 340, a freeze alert is issued by the temperature monitoring circuit140 at step 330. The freeze alert can include a timestamp and the valueof temperatures T_(E) and T_(A). If no at step 340, no action is takenby the temperature monitoring circuit 140. When issued, the freezealerts, timestamps, information related to the temperatures T_(E) andT_(A), including the temperature values and potential problems, can betransmitted to a remote client device, e.g., a client device such asmobile device 210 and/or stationary electronic device 215. In someembodiments, the performance of the steps in flow diagram 300 can bedone in another device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) or shared betweenthe corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110 and another device(e.g., monitoring platform 230). For example, one or more steps 310 to340 can be performed by the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit110 and any remaining steps can be performed by the other device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230). For example, monitoring platform 230 canperform the step 330 and issue the freeze alert to the user. Thetemperature monitoring circuit 140 can collect temperature data for theequipment temperature (T_(E)) measured by temperature sensor 120 and theambient temperature (T_(A)) from temperature sensor 125 and the otherdevice, e.g., monitoring platform 230, can be implemented using a cloudnetworking system and includes a computational engine to perform thefreeze alert calculations and transmittals to the user.

The monitoring device 100 can include a water detection circuit 138 tosense the presence or absence of water in the pipe, e.g., in pipe 150.The water detection circuit 138 can use information derived from any twoof the coupon portions 106 a-106 d to detect the water. For example, themonitoring and water detection circuit 138 can sense a conductancebetween any two coupon portions 106 to determine whether there is waterpresent between the coupon portions 106 a-106 d. When there are morethan two coupon portions 106 in sensor assembly 102, voltage can be usedto sense whether there is conductance between the two thickest couponportions 106. For example, a voltage signal can be provided to one endof the second thickest coupon portion 106 and one end of the thickestcoupon portion 106 is checked for the voltage signal. A voltage signalwill exist if the sensor assembly 102 is in water. In this way, if thethinnest coupon portions 106 corrode away, the two thickest couponportions 106 will still be able to detect for water. The water detectioncircuit can include a voltage divider circuit that includes a referenceresistor having a known resistance and the other “resistor” of thevoltage divider circuit is the resistance of the current flow pathbetween the two thickest coupons and the air and/or medium between them.For example, as depicted in FIG. 4 , relay circuit 130 can include avoltage divider circuit 164 that can be used for determining thepresence of water. The voltage divider circuit 164 includes relay K5, avoltage source providing voltage V_(IN), and a reference resistorR_(REF2) having a predetermined resistance. Reference resistor R_(REF2)also serves as a pull-down resistor to keep the voltage V_(W) fromfloating when the respective coupon portion 106 has corroded open and/orwhen relay K5 is de-energized. The relay K5 can be operated, e.g., by amicroprocessor (not shown) or other circuit, which can be part of themonitoring and conversion circuit 110. The microprocessor or othercircuit can be part of the relay circuit 130. At least two of the couponportions 106 can be connected to the voltage divider circuit in relaycircuit 130 when K5 is operated. As depicted in FIG. 4 , coupon portions106 c and 106 d, which can be the second thickest and thickest couponportions, respectively, can be used for the detection of water. Forexample, when relay K5 is energized, a voltage V_(IN) is applied to oneend of coupon portion 106 c via terminal K5-3 of relay contact K5A. Avoltage V_(W) can be read at one end of the coupon 106 d via terminalK5-9 of contact KSB. The voltage V_(W), which corresponds to theresistance between the two coupons, can be transmitted to and measuredby water detection circuit 138. The water detection circuit 138 and/oran external device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) can read and comparethe voltage V_(W) readings to a predetermined value that corresponds toa presence or absence of water in the sensor assembly 102, e.g., betweencoupon portions 106 c and 106 d. Where the monitoring device 100 isinstalled in a piping system, the presence of water in a “dry-pipe”system or the absence of water in a “wet-pipe” system can indicate aproblem in the piping system. An alert can be sent to a user when thereis an indication that a problem exists in the piping system. The alertcan be sent with a timestamp. The same monitoring device 100 can be usedfor both “wet-pipe” and “dry-pipe” systems. The orientation of thecorrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 in the piping system can bebased on the type of system. For example, as depicted in FIG. 6A, for“dry-pipe” system, the corrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 can belocated at the bottom half of the pipe, such as near the bottom. Forexample, the sensor assembly 102 can be disposed at an angle α in arange of ±60 degrees, such as ±45 degrees, such as ±30 degrees, withzero degrees being the bottom of the pipe. For a dry-pipe system, thecorrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 can be mounted at an expectedwater-air boundary level that represents a water level at which acorrective action needs to be taken. For example, a small level of waterin a dry-pipe system may not be a concern, but at some point the waterlevel may reach a point where corrective action needs to be taken, e.g.,checking for leaks in valves. For a “wet-pipe” system, as seen in FIG.6B, the sensor assembly 102 can be located at the top half of the pipe,such as near the top. For example, the sensor assembly 102 can bedisposed at an angle θ in a range of ±60 degrees, such as ±45 degrees,such as ±30 degrees, with zero degrees being the top of the pipe. Thecorrosion monitoring sensor assembly 102 can be mounted at an expectedwater-air boundary for the wet-pipe system and, for example, mountedsensing the water side of the water-air boundary. In either type ofsystem, the sensor assembly 102 can be mounted onto a mechanical tee, anelbow tee, an endcap, or some other mounting assembly. The mounting canbe adjustable so that the sensor assembly 102 can be moved relative tothe pipe. For example, the sensor assembly 102 can be mounted onto agrooved mechanical tee or a grooved endcap so that the positon of thesensor assembly 102 can be adjusted relative to the pipe 150. Anadjustable mounting allows for modifications to the mounting angle ifsystem conditions change and/or the initial mounting angle was notcorrect, e.g., not correct with respect to the location of the water-airboundary.

If there are less than two coupon portions 106 that are good, thepresence of water detection can be stopped until the sensor assembly 102is replaced. However, if a coupon portion 106 has opened up, it canstill be used for detecting the presence of water depending on how muchof an open coupon portion 106 still exists. In this case a second coupon106 is not needed to sense for water. For example, the water detectioncircuit 138 can use the open coupon portion to sense the conductance bytransmitting a voltage signal at one end of the open coupon and checkingfor the voltage signal at the other end. A freeze alarm may be initiatedonly if water is detected and the temperature monitoring circuit 140indicates that there is a chance the detected water can freeze. In thisway, the freeze alarm can be not initiated when water is not detected toreduce nuisance alarms.

As depicted in FIG. 3 , the monitoring device 100 can include atransmission circuit 116 that includes a transmitter or transceiver fortransmitting sensor values and/or information derived from the sensorvalues such as, for example, continuity readings, voltage readings,current readings, temperature readings (ambient and/or equipmentenvironment), water freeze indications, inductance values, presence ofwater indication, resistance values, change in the resistance values,corrosion level values, corrosion rate values, timestamp values, and/orother sensor values and/or information to external devices (e.g.,monitoring platform 230—see FIG. 10 ) via, e.g., communication network220 (see FIG. 10 ). In addition to the various values and informationdiscussed above, the transmission circuit 116 can also transmit otherinformation generated by the monitoring device 100 such as the status ofthe monitoring device 100 (e.g., on-line, off-line, working properly,not working, needs repair, and/or some other status value), status ofthe individual voltage, current, inductance, and/or temperature sensors(e.g., working, not working, value out of range, and/or some otherinformation concerning the sensors), status of the wire loops (e.g.,closed or open (broken) loop, expected life, or some other informationconcerning the wire loops), and/or some other information related to thereadiness of monitoring device 100.

The transmission circuit 116 can use wired and/or wireless networks tocommunicate the values and/or information to the external devices. Thetransmission circuit 116 can use a wireless network to communicate thevalues and/or information to the external devices. The wireless networkcan have a range of up to 3 miles. In some embodiments, the transmissioncircuit 116 can transmit the values and/or information to a gateway(discussed further below) using the wireless network, and the gatewaytransmits the values and/or information using a cellular or IP-basednetwork to the external devices via communications network 220. Thetransmission circuit 116 can use a LoRaWAN wireless network via aMultiConnect® xDot™ made by MultiTech. In some embodiments, thetransmission circuit 116 can be configured to transmit the values and/orinformation over a period of time in batches.

The control unit 104 can include a power source 112. The power source112 provides power to the monitoring and conversion circuit 110. Thepower source 112 can be a battery, such as a battery that is“off-the-shelf.” In some embodiments, the battery can be a lithium ionbattery (or batteries), which provides a long battery life. The batterycan last 6 to 10 years without the need for replacement. The powersource 112 can be monitored by a power monitoring circuit 112 a thatprovides an alert or alarm if there is a problem with the power source112. For example, if the power source 112 is a battery, the power sourcemonitoring circuit 112 a can provide an alert/alarm when the battery islow and/or needs to be replaced. In some embodiments, the battery is arechargeable battery while in other embodiments the battery is replacedafter it is discharged. In case of a rechargeable battery, the power tocharge the battery in power source 112 can be supplied by a DC or AC busconnected to a utility grid and/or supplied by solar cells. In someembodiments, the battery of power source 112 is not field replaceable orrechargeable. In this case, the battery can be configured to last theexpected life of the pipe 150 and/or the monitoring device 100 can beshipped to a service center for battery replacement. In someembodiments, the power source 112 converts power from an external sourcesuch as, for example, the DC or AC power bus, which can be connected toa plurality of edge devices.

In some embodiments, the corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110can include local memory (e.g., machine-readable medium) to record andstore one or more of reference values (e.g., V_(IN), V_(REF1),V_(REF2)), the measured sensor values and/or electrical characteristicvalues (e.g., V_(C), V_(W), other voltage values, current values,inductance values, continuity values, and/or temperature values), thecalculated electrical characteristic values (e.g., resistance), thecalculated chance in electrical characteristic values, the calculatedcorrosion level/rate values, and/or other calculated and/or determinedinformation. The corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110 caninclude look-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other dataconversion method that includes information related to the correlations,as discussed above, between one or more of the following: resistancevalues, change in resistance values, coupon weight loss per area values,equipment weight loss per area values, and/or corrosion level/ratevalues. The corrosion monitoring and conversion circuit 110 can includelook-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other data conversionmethod to make the correlation between the voltage values and thepresence or absence of water determination, and to make the correlationbetween temperature values and the determination of potential problemsfor the equipment, e.g., a determination as to whether and when thewater will freeze. An external device (e.g., monitoring platform 230)can include look-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other dataconversion method to make the correlations as discussed above. Theexternal device can also include memory (e.g., machine-readable medium)to record and store one or more of reference values (e.g., V_(IN),V_(REF1), V_(REF2)), the measured sensor values and/or electricalcharacteristic values (e.g., V_(C), V_(W), other voltage values, currentvalues, inductance values, continuity values, and/or temperaturevalues), the calculated electrical characteristic values (e.g.,resistance), the calculated chance in electrical characteristic values,the calculated corrosion level/rate values, and/or other calculatedand/or determined information.

The corrosion monitoring, temperature monitoring, water detectionmonitoring and/or transmitting functions discussed above can beincorporated in to a one or more programmable microprocessors. Forexample, as depicted in FIG. 3 , a microprocessor 145 can be programmedto perform the functions of the corrosion detector circuit 132, thecorrosion rate circuit 134, the temperature monitor circuit 140, thewater detector circuit 138, and/or the transmitter circuit 116. Theprogrammable microprocessor can be an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)processor such as, e.g, a MultiConnect® xDot that communicates over aLoRaWAN network. The programmable processor 145 can receive thetemperature feedback signals from temperature detector 120 and/ortemperature detector 125. The programmable processor 145 can thenperform the functions of temperature monitoring circuit 140 (e.g.,determining freeze alerts) as discussed above. In some embodiments, therelays K1-K4 are connected to and operated by the programmable processor145, and the programmable processor 145 is configured to read thevoltage signals from the corresponding relay contacts as discussedabove. The programmable processor 145 can then perform the functions ofthe corrosion detector circuit 132 and/or the corrosion rate circuit 134as discussed above. The programmable processor 145 can be connected torelay K5 and be configured to read the voltage signals from the relaycontact. The programmable processor 145 can then perform the functionsof the water detector circuit 138 as discussed above.

In some embodiments, the CM device 100 can continuously measure thecoupon voltage values and the temperature values and/or continuouslytransmit the measured values. Depending on the type of system and theenvironment that the equipment is installed in, corrosion of theequipment to any significant degree may not be detected for years. Inaddition, even when the corrosion is detected, the progression of thecorrosion may occur over months or years. In such cases, a constantdrain on the power source 112 by continuously sending current throughthe wire loops 105 can be undesirable and considered a waste of energyand/or inefficient. Similarly, continuously checking the temperature orthe presence of water may not be worth the cost to battery life. Forexample, if the temperatures are above freezing and/or fairly constant,a once a day check may be sufficient to protect the equipment.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the microprocessor 145 or one or moreof the individual circuits in the corrosion monitoring and conversioncircuit 110 (e.g., the corrosion detector circuit 132, the corrosionrate circuit 134, the temperature monitoring circuit 140, and/or thewater detector circuit 138 is programmed to only take readings for apredetermined duration of time. The predetermined duration of time canrange from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the number ofmeasurements that are required. For example, each corrosion related,temperature related, and/or water detection related measurement can betaken a predetermined number of times. When more than one measurement istaken, the measurements can be averaged. In addition to limiting theduration of time that the readings are taken, the time period betweenwhen the microprocessor 145 or the appropriate circuit takes thecorrosion related, temperature related, and/or water detection relatedmeasurement can be based on a predetermined time period (e.g., everypredetermined number of minutes, days, weeks, months, and/or years). Thepredetermined time periods for the respective measurements can be setindependently. For example, the corrosion related and water detectionmeasurements can be performed once a day while the temperature relatedmeasurements can be performed every minute. The time period between whenthe measurements are taken can be based on one or more of the followingperformance criteria: required battery life, remaining battery life, thelevel of corrosion, the rate of corrosion, the temperature of theequipment environment, the ambient temperature, the presence or absenceof water, and/or some other performance criteria. For example, if themonitoring device 100 is required to be installed for a period of, e.g.,10 years, the microprocessor 145 or the appropriate circuit can beconfigured to take into account this factor when determining when and/orhow often to take the measurements. The microprocessor 145 or theappropriate circuit can be configured to take the battery life (e.g.,high/low, number of years remaining) as another factor to take intoconsideration. The rate of corrosion and the level of corrosion are alsofactors that can be used to determine when and/or how often to take themeasurements. For example, at initial installation, when the rate ofcorrosion and/or the level of corrosion is expected to be low, themicroprocessor 145 or circuit 132 and/or 134 can be configured such thatthe time period between when corrosion related measurements arerelatively long initially and then gradually or periodically shortenedas the rate and/or level of corrosion increases. In situations where thecorrosion rate or level is not a primary concern but the temperature isa primary concern due to, e.g., water freezing concerns, themicroprocessor 145 or circuit 140 can use the equipment environmenttemperature from temperature sensor 120 and/or ambient temperature fromtemperature sensor 125 as factors in determining how often to power upthe circuits. In some embodiments, to prevent electrical interactions,e.g., unintended current flow, that can accelerate or decelerate thecorrosion of the coupon portions 106, the relay circuit 130 breaks theconnection, e.g., by opening the contacts on the relays K1-K5, betweenthe wire loops 105 and the relevant circuits in monitoring andconversion circuit 110.

Operation of the transmission circuit 116 can be regulated in order toconserve power. In some embodiments, the values and/or informationtransmitted to and measured by the microprocessor 145 (or individuallyfrom the corrosion detector circuit 132, the corrosion rate circuit 134,the temperature monitor circuit 140, and/or the water detector circuit138) can be transmitted by the transmitter 116 as respectivemeasurements are being made. In some embodiments, the time period fortransmission of the measured values and/or information is independent ofthe time period that the measurements are made. For example, thetransmission circuit 116 can transmit values and/or status informationonce each day or some other predetermined time period regardless of whenor how often the measurements are made. The measured values and/orstatus information can be transmitted responsive to detecting a changein the measured values. In some embodiments, the measured values and/orstatus information are transmitted only when the value changes by apredetermined amount or the status information changes. For example, thetemperature readings from temperature sensors 120 and 125 can betransmitted by transmitter circuit 116 when they change by apredetermined amount such as, e.g., 2 deg. F. Similarly, the continuitystatus (open/closed) of a coupon portion 106 and/or the water presencestatus can be transmitted responsive to detecting that the respectivestatus has changed (a coupon has open circuited (broken) or has opencircuited out of sequence (e.g., a larger coupon has broken before asmaller coupon in which case an error status is transmitted), or thewater presence status shows a change (e.g., from “wet” to “dry” or achange from “dry” to “wet”)_(.)

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D depict an LPM sensor assembly 1102 for the LPMdevice 1100. As depicted in FIGS. 7A-7D, LPM sensor assembly 1102includes a plug insert 1143 and a housing 1144. The plug insert 1143 canbe a separate component from housing 1144 and can be disposed in thehousing 1144. The plug insert 1143 can be secured in the housing 1144via a press fit or e.g., a threaded connection. In some embodiments, theplug insert 1143 and the housing 1144 are not separate components, e.g.,plug insert 1143 and housing 1144 are an integral unit. The LPM sensorassembly 1102 can include at least one continuity probe 1105 that isdisposed in the plug insert 1143, e.g., by press fit or another means ofattachment. The continuity probe 1105 can be electrically isolated fromthe housing 1144 of the LPM sensor assembly 1102 and thus also isolatedfrom the drum drip 22 when no water is present in the drum drip 22and/or isolated from the pipe when no drum drip is used and water ispresent in the pipe. For brevity and clarity, various embodiments willbe discussed with reference to drum drip 22 and a wall of drum drip 22.The LPM device 1100 is also applicable to a pipe and a wall of a pipe ina system where no drum drip is used in the low point piping. Thecontinuity probe 1105 can be made of a conducting material such as e.g.,a metal or metal alloy. The LPM sensor assembly 1102 can be configuredsuch that an electrically conductive path is formed between a wall ofthe drum drip 22 and/or the housing 1144 and the continuity probe 1105when there is water in the drum drip 22. In some embodiments, the LPMsensor assembly 1102 includes a second continuity probe and theelectrical path is formed between the two continuity probes rather thanthe continuity probe 1105 and the wall/housing 1144. The two-probearrangement can be used where the housing 1144 is not composed of ametal and/or where continuity readings between the probe and the wall ofthe drum drip 22 are unreliable, e.g., due scale or corrosion buildup inthe piping system 50. The end of the continuity probe 1105 can beattached, e.g., by soldering, threaded screw, or another means ofattachment, to a wire lead that is then routed to the LPM monitoring andconversion circuit 1110. In some embodiments, the LPM monitoring andconversion circuit 1110 can include a pipe temperature sensor 1120and/or an ambient temperature sensor 1125 in combination with the LPMsensor assembly 1102.

The plug insert 1143 of the LPM sensor assembly 1102 can have a lowelectrical conductivity and/or a low thermal conductivity. The pluginsert 1143 can be made of a plastic. In some embodiments, the pluginsert 1143 is composed of a thermoset material, such as a thermosetmaterial that is in compliance with the Underwriter Laboratories (UL)standards concerning fire suppression systems. For example, the pluginsert 1143 can be composed of a silicon material, urethane material,another type of thermoset material, or any combination thereof. In someembodiments, the plug insert 1143 is made of a thermoplastic such as anacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. The composition of theplug insert 1143 can be made of a metal or metal alloy, a thermosetplastic, a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or a combination thereof, asappropriate, so long as the continuity probe 1105 is isolated from thehousing 1144 or from the other probes in a multi-probe embodiment. Theplug insert 1143 and/or the housing 1144 can be made of a material thatis rated to at least 250 deg. F. The housing 1144 can be in the shape ofa pipe plug with treads 1146, such as in the shape of a standardthreaded pipe plug. For example, the housing 1144 can be in the shape ofa 1 inch National Pipe Thread (NPT) threaded pipe plug (or some otherstandard pipe plug size) with a head portion 1147 that is hexagonal inshape or some other shape that facilitates installation using a tool(e.g., a hex socket). The housing 1144, including head portion 1147, canhave various shapes as appropriate for the equipment being monitored.The composition of the housing 1144 can be made of a metal or metalalloy, a thermoset plastic, a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or a combinationthereof, as appropriate. In some embodiments, the housing 1144 and theplug insert 143 are an integrated unit. The integrated housing 1144 andplug inset 1143 can be injection molded. The composition of theintegrated housing 1144/plug insert 1143 can be made of a metal or metalalloy, a thermoset plastic, a thermoplastic, a ceramic, or a combinationthereof, as appropriate. The housing 1144 can be rated for the same orhigher pressures and temperatures as the equipment being monitored. Thehousing 1144 can be rated at 2 to 3 times the operating pressure of theequipment being monitored. In the case of piping systems for firesprinklers, the equipment can operate from 150 psi to 175 psi, and thehousing 1144 can be rated is a range from 300 psi to 525 psi. Forexample, in a typical piping system for fire sprinkler systems, thethreaded pipe plug can be rated up to 400 psi. The pressure rating candepend on the application and, in some embodiments, the housing 1144 canbe a pipe plug that is rated up to 1600 psi and, in some embodiments, upto 3000 psi.

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic block diagram of an LPM device 1100. The LPMdevice 1100 includes a LPM sensor assembly 1102 with continuity probe1105 and/or temperature sensors 1120, 1125 and a control unit 1104 thatmonitors the LPM sensor assembly 1102. As depicted in FIG. 8 , thecontrol unit 1104 can include a LPM monitoring and conversion circuit1110. The LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 can monitor theconductivity between the conductivity probe 1105 and the wall of drumdrip 22/housing 1144 (or the conductivity between two probes) anddetermines whether there is water in the drum drip 22.

The LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 can include a waterdetection circuit 1138 to sense the presence or absence of water in thepipe of drum drip 22. The water detection circuit 1138 can useinformation derived from the continuity probe 1105 to detect the water.For example, the water detection circuit 1138 can sense a conductancebetween the continuity probe 1105 and the wall of the drum drip 22and/or the housing 1144 by measuring an electrical signal between thecontinuity probe 1105 and the wall and/or housing 1144 (or measuring anelectrical signal between two continuity probes). In systems that do nothave a drum drip, the conductance between the continuity probe 1105 anda wall of the pipe can be measured. The electrical signal can be avoltage, a current, a resistance, an inductance or some other electricalsignal. A voltage can be used to sense whether there is conductance. Forexample, a voltage signal V_(IN2) can be provided to an external end ofthe continuity probe 1105 via a wire lead 138 a connected to, e.g., ascrew disposed on the external end of the continuity probe 1105, and avoltage feedback signal V_(F) can be read by the water detection circuit1138 via a wire lead 138 b connected to the wall of drum drip 22. Thevoltage signal V_(IN2) can be a predetermined voltage signal, such as avoltage signal in a range of 2-10 volts, such as 3 volts±10%. The waterdetection circuit 1138 can read the voltage feedback signal V_(F) fromthe pipe if the LPM sensor assembly 1102 is in water. Some feedbackvoltage can exist even when the drum drip 22 has no water in it, due toleakage current paths from the pipe (or housing 1144) to the continuityprobe 1105. The leakage current paths can exist due to dirt, scale,corrosion build up or for some other reason. To prevent false waterdetection readings, the voltage feedback signal V_(F) can be compared toa threshold valve V_(TH) to determine if water is present in the drumdrip 22. If the water in the drum drip 22 has 100% conductivity thevoltage feedback signal V_(F) will equal V_(IN2). Because water is not100% conductive, the feedback signal can be 85% to 95% of V_(IN2) whenthe drum drip 22 is full of water, e.g., a ratio of V_(F)/V_(IN2) is ina range of 85% to 95%, and the threshold value V_(TH) can be set to avalue in a range from 85% to 95% of V_(IN2), and such as 90% of V_(IN2).The threshold value V_(TH) can be different depending on the system. Ifthe ratio is greater than or equal to the threshold value V_(TH), thewater detection circuit 1138 can determine that water is present in thedrum drip 22. If the ratio is below the threshold value V_(TH), thewater detection circuit 1138 can determine that no water is present inthe drum drip 22. To prevent the input voltage to the water detectioncircuit 1138 from floating, a pull-down resistor circuit similar tothose discussed above can be used at the input terminal of V_(F). Thecalculations to determine if water is present in the drum drip 22 can bedone in a remote device, e.g., a server on a cloud network. For example,monitoring platform 230 can include a computational engine to performthe water detection calculations discussed above.

As depicted in FIG. 8 , the LPM monitoring device 1100 can include atemperature sensor 1120. The temperature sensor 1120 can be disposed onthe external wall of drum drip 22 or pipe, and the temperature sensor1120 senses the surface temperature of the drum drip 22 or pipe. Byplacing the temperature sensor 1120 on the drum drip 22 or pipe, thetemperature measurement will experience a delay due to the mass of thedrum drip 22 or the pipe wall in comparison to an ambient temperaturereading. The delay provides a more accurate indication with respect towhen freezing could potentially could occur. The temperature sensor 1120can be disposed inside the pipe, e.g., by disposed in LPM sensorassembly 1102 in a manner similar to CM sensor assembly 102 andtemperature sensor 120 discussed above. The LPM monitoring andconversion circuit 1110 can include temperature detector circuit 1136 athat receives the signal from temperature sensor 1120 and converts thesensor signal to a temperature value. The temperature sensor 1120 canbe, e.g., a thermocouple, RTD, or a thermistor (NTC or PTC). In someembodiments, the temperature sensor 1120 is a 10K NTC thermistor. Thetemperature value from sensor 1120 can be read by appropriate circuitryin monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 or another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) to predict potential problems due to thetemperature, e.g., problems such as whether and when any water in thedrum drip 22 will freeze.

In some embodiments, a second temperature sensor 1125 senses the ambienttemperature outside the drum drip 22. For example, the temperaturesensor 1125 senses the temperature of the ambient air surrounding thepipe of drum drip 22. The temperature sensor 1125 can be disposed incontrol unit 1104, such as in the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit1110. In some embodiments, e.g., as depicted in FIG. 8 , the temperaturesensor 1125 is disposed outside the LPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 1110. The temperature detector circuit 1136 b can receive thesignal from temperature sensor 1125 and converts the sensor signal to atemperature value. The temperature sensor 1125 can be, e.g., athermocouple, RTD, or a thermistor (NTC or PTC). In some embodiments,the temperature sensor 1125 is a 10K NTC thermistor. By sensing both thetemperature of the pipe if drum drip 22 and the ambient temperaturesurrounding the drum drip 22, the two temperatures can be read andcompared by appropriate circuitry in LPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 1110 or another device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) topredict potential problems in the equipment due to the temperature,e.g., whether and when any water will freeze. For example, the LPMmonitoring and conversion circuit 1110 or another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can predict whether there will be a failure ofa pipe in the fire protection system (and thus the potential for a falsetrip of the fire suppression system) based on the temperature readings.For example, the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 and/oranother device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) can implement the logicdescribed in flow diagram 300, as discussed above. The temperaturesensor 1120 can be mounted on the drum drip 22 or on the pipe instead ofbeing disposed inside the drum drip 22 or inside the pipe. Thetemperature sensor 1120 can be disposed in the LPM sensor assembly 1102similar to temperature sensor 120 and CM sensor assembly 102 to measurethe temperature inside the drum drip 22 or inside the pipe. Thetemperature detecting circuit of LPM monitoring and conversion circuit1110 and/or another device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) can becoordinated with the water detection circuit 1138 such that a waterfreeze alarm is initiated only if water is detected and the temperaturecircuit indicates that there is a chance the detected water can freeze.In this way, the water freeze alarm is not initiated when water is notdetected to reduce nuisance alarms. In some embodiments, LPM monitoringand conversion circuit 1110 or another device (e.g., monitoring platform230) can provide a high temperature alarm based on the temperaturesensor 1120 and/or temperature sensor 1125 being at or above arespective predetermined high temperature value.

If the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 or another device(e.g., monitoring platform 230) detects water and/or a water freezecondition, an alarm can be initiated to indicate there is a potentialproblem in the piping system 50 that can cause a false trip. Once analarm has been initiated, the operator can take remedial action toprevent the false trip such as, e.g., draining water from the low point.For example, the operator can close the inlet valve to the drum drip 22and open the outlet valve to drain the water. After the water isdrained, the outlet valve of drum drip 22 is closed and the inlet valveis opened. The DPM device 2100 (or another device such as, e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can automatically drain the water, e.g., asdescribed above, to prevent or lessen the chances of a false trip. Forexample, the inlet and outlet valves of drum drip 22 can be motor orsolenoid operated valves (or some other type of automated valves) andthe LPM water detector circuit 1138 (or some other circuit) can beconfigured to control the inlet and outlet valves of drum drip 22 todrain the water in the low point before it freezes and causes a rupturein the piping system 50. In some embodiments, the remedial action thatis taken (either manually by the operator or automatically by the LPMmonitoring and conversion circuit 1110 or by another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230)) to prevent the false trip is placing the firesuppression system off-line until the problem is corrected.

As depicted in FIG. 8 , the LPM monitoring device 1100 can include atransmission circuit 1116 that includes a transmitter or transceiver fortransmitting sensor values and/or information derived from the sensorvalues (such as, for example, continuity readings, voltage readings,temperature readings (ambient and/or equipment environment), waterfreeze indications, presence of water indication, and/or other sensorvalues and/or information) to external devices (e.g., monitoringplatform 230) via, e.g., communication network 220. In addition to thevarious values and information discussed above, the transmission circuit1116 can also transmit other information generated by the LPM monitoringdevice 1100 such as the status of the LPM monitoring device 1100 (e.g.,on-line, off-line, working properly, not working, needs repair, and/orsome other status value), status of the individual voltage and/ortemperature sensors (e.g., working, not working, value out of range,and/or some other information concerning the sensors), and/or some otherinformation related to the readiness of monitoring device 1100.

The transmission circuit 1116 can use wired and/or wireless networks tocommunicate the values and/or information to the external devices. Thetransmission circuit 1116 can use a wireless network to communicate thevalues and/or information to the external devices. The wireless networkcan have a range of up to 3 miles. In some embodiments, the transmissioncircuit 1116 can transmit the values and/or information to a gateway(discussed further below) using the wireless network, and the gatewaytransmits the values and/or information using a cellular or IP-basednetwork to the external devices via communications network 220. Thetransmission circuit 1116 can use a LoRaWAN wireless network via aMultiConnect® xDot™ made by MultiTech. In some embodiments, thetransmission circuit 1116 transmits the values and/or information over aperiod of time in batches.

The control unit 1104 can include a power source 1112. The power source1112 can provide power to the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit1110. The power source 1112 can be a battery, such as a battery that is“off-the-shelf.” In some embodiments, the battery can be a lithium ionbattery (or batteries), which provides a long battery life. The batterycan last 6 to 10 years without the need for replacement. The powersource 1112 can be monitored by a power monitoring circuit 1112 a thatprovides an alert or alarm if there is a problem with the power source1112. For example, if the power source 1112 is a battery, the powersource monitoring circuit 1112 a can provide an alert/alarm when thebattery is low and/or needs to be replaced. In some embodiments, thebattery is a rechargeable battery. The battery can be replaced after itis discharged. In case of a rechargeable battery, the power to chargethe battery in power source 1112 can be supplied by a DC or AC busconnected to a utility grid and/or supplied by solar cells. In someembodiments, the battery of power source 1112 is not field replaceableor rechargeable. In this case, the battery can be configured to last theexpected life of the piping system 50 and/or the LPM monitoring device1100 can be shipped to a service center for battery replacement. Thepower source 1112 can convert power from an external source such as, forexample, the DC or AC power bus, which can be connected to a pluralityof edge devices.

In some embodiments, the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 caninclude local memory (e.g., machine-readable medium) to record and storeone or more of reference values (e.g., V_(IN2), V_(TH)), the measuredsensor values (e.g., V_(F), other voltage values, continuity values,and/or temperature values), the calculated values (e.g., temperature,water presence), and/or other calculated and/or determined information.The LPM monitoring and conversion circuit 1110 can includelook-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other data conversionmethod to make the correlation between the voltage feedback values andthe presence or absence of water determination, and to make thecorrelation between temperature values and the determination ofpotential problems for the equipment, e.g., a determination as towhether and when the water will freeze. An external device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can include look-up-tables, databases,equations, or some other data conversion method to make the correlationsas discussed above. The external device can include memory (e.g.,machine-readable medium) to record and store one or more of referencevalues (e.g., V_(IN2), V_(TH)), the measured sensor values (e.g., V_(F),other voltage values, current values, continuity values, and/ortemperature values), the calculated values (e.g., temperature, waterpresence), and/or other calculated and/or determined information.

The temperature monitoring, water detection monitoring and/ortransmitting functions discussed above can be incorporated in to a oneor more programmable microprocessors. For example, as depicted in FIG. 8, a microprocessor 1145 can be programmed to perform the functions ofthe temperature monitor circuit 1140, the water detector circuit 1138,and/or the transmitter circuit 1116. The programmable microprocessor isan Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor such as, e.g., a MultiConnect®xDot™ that communicates over a LoRaWAN network. The programmableprocessor 1145 can receive the temperature feedback signals fromtemperature detector 1120 and/or temperature detector 1125. Theprogrammable processor 1145 can then perform the functions oftemperature monitoring circuit 1140 (e.g., determining freeze alerts) asdiscussed above. In some embodiments, the programmable processor 1145can provide the voltage signal V_(IN2) and read the voltage feedbacksignal V_(F) from the pipe of drum drip 22. The programmable processor1145 can then perform the functions of the water detector circuit 1138as discussed above.

In some embodiments, the LPM monitoring device 1100 can continuouslymeasure the voltage feedback signal V_(F) for the presence of water. Aconstant drain on the power by continuously checking for the presence ofwater can be undesirable and considered a waste of energy and/orinefficient. Continuously checking the temperature may not be worth thecost to battery life. For example, if the temperatures are abovefreezing and/or fairly constant, a once a day check may be sufficient.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the microprocessor 1145 or one or moreof the individual circuits in the LPM monitoring and conversion circuit1110 (e.g., the temperature monitoring circuit 1140, and/or the waterdetector circuit 1138) can take readings for a predetermined duration oftime. The predetermined duration of time can range from a few seconds toa few minutes depending on the number of measurements that are required.For example, each temperature related, and/or water detection relatedmeasurement can be taken a predetermined number of times. When more thanone measurement is taken, the measurements are averaged. In addition tolimiting the duration of time that the readings are taken, the timeperiod between when the microprocessor 145 or the appropriate circuittakes the temperature related and/or water detection related measurementcan be based on a predetermined time period (e.g., every predeterminednumber of minutes, days, weeks, months, and/or years). The predeterminedtime periods for the respective measurements can be set independently.For example, the water detection related measurements and/or thetemperature related measurements can be performed once per minute. Thetime period between when the measurements are taken can be based on oneor more of the following performance criteria: required battery life,remaining battery life, the temperature of the equipment environment,the ambient temperature, the presence or absence of water, and/or someother performance criteria. For example, if the LPM monitoring device1100 is required to be installed for a period of, e.g., 10 years, themicroprocessor 1145 or the appropriate circuit can be configured to takeinto account this factor when determining when and/or how often to takethe measurements. The microprocessor 1145 or the appropriate circuit canbe configured to take the battery life (e.g., high/low, number of yearsremaining) as another factor to take into consideration.

Operation of the transmission circuit 1116 can be regulated to conservepower. In some embodiments, the values and/or information transmitted toand measured by the microprocessor 1145 (or individually from thetemperature monitor circuit 1140 and/or the water detector circuit 1138)can be transmitted by the transmitter 1116 as respective measurementsare being made. In some embodiments, the time period for transmission ofthe measured values and/or information is independent of the time periodthat the measurements are made. For example, the transmission circuit1116 can transmit values and/or status information once each day or someother predetermined time period regardless of when or how often themeasurements are made. The measured values and/or status information canbe transmitted responsive to detecting a change in the measured values.For example, the water detection status can be transmitted when there isa change in the status, e.g., from no water detected to water detectedor from water detected to no water detected. In some embodiments, themeasured values and/or status information are transmitted only when thevalue changes by a predetermined amount. For example, the temperaturereadings from temperature sensors 1120 and 1125 can be transmitted bytransmitter circuit 1116 when they change by a predetermined amount suchas, e.g., 2 deg. F.

The LPM device 1100 can monitor a drum drip or other sections of thepiping system.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a DPM device 2100. Asdiscussed above, due to water and/or air pressure fluctuations, falsetrips of the fire suppression system can occur without an alarm or analert that the air pressure is insufficient to keep the valve closed.The DPM device 2100 can include a pressure sensor 2132 that senses thewater pressure at the bottom of the clapper 20 b of the dry pipe valve20 and a pressure sensor 2130 that senses the air pressure on the top ofthe clapper 20 b when the valve is in a ready state. The DPM device 2100also includes a DPM control unit 2104 that monitors the pressure sensors2130 and 2132. The DPM control unit 2104 can include a DPM monitoringand conversion circuit 2110 that provides a dynamic low air pressurealarm based on the monitored pressure sensors 2130 and 2132.

For example, as depicted in FIG. 9 , the DPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 2110 can include differential pressure (DP) detector circuit2132 that reads the air pressure value P_(AIR) from pressure sensor 2130and compares the value P_(AIR) to a threshold value that corresponds tothe minimum required air pressure (MRAP) for the design valve trip ratio(VTR) of the dry pipe valve. The MRAP value can change dynamically basedon the water pressure value P_(W) from pressure sensor 2132. If the airpressure value P_(AIR) is below the MRAP value, the system can output analarm and/or an alert can be sent to a user to indicate the potentialfor an inadvertent operation (e.g., false trip) of the fire suppressionsystem because the air pressure on top of clapper 20 b may not be enoughto keep the dry pipe valve 20 closed against the inlet water pressureP_(W). The MRAP can dynamically compensate for changes in water pressureto provide an updated MRAP value based on the design VTR of the dry pipevalve 20. The MRAP value can be based on a buffer safety factorBufferPress in addition to the design VTR. The MRAP can be equal to((P_(W)/VTR)+BufferPress). The MRAP calculation can be performed by theDP detector circuit 2132. For example, the DP detector circuit 2132 canreceive the water pressure P_(W) from pressure sensor 2132. The waterpressure value is divided by the design VTR of dry pipe valve 20 incircuit 2132. For example, the design VTR of dry pipe valve 20 can be5.5. The VTR can have various values depending on the configuration ofthe dry pipe valve. The resultant value from this division can be theminimum air pressure value to keep the dry pipe valve 20 closed. The DPdetector circuit 2132 can add a buffer air pressure value BufferPress tothe calculated minimum required air pressure value to determine the MRAPfor the dry pipe valve 20. The buffer air pressure value BufferPress canact as a safety factor to ensure that the clapper 20 b will remainclosed. BufferPress can be a value in a range from 0 to 15 psi, such as5 to 10 psi, such as 10 psi.

FIG. 10 depicts a flow diagram 2200 of a method of dynamicallydetermining the MRAP value and determining an unstable condition in thefire suppression system 10. In step 2210, the water pressure P_(W) isread from pressure sensor 2132. In step 2220, the MRAP is calculated.The water pressure value P_(W) can be divided by the design VTR of drypipe valve 20 and a safety factor BufferPress can be added to theresultant value to determine the MRAP. The safety factor BufferPress canensure that the clapper will remain closed due to minor fluctuations inwater rand air pressures. In step 2230, the air pressure P_(AIR) is readfrom pressure sensor 2130. In step 2240, the air pressure value P_(AIR)is compared to the MRAP value. If the air pressure value is lower thanthe MRAP value, then in step 2250 a low air pressure alarm is initiatedand sent to the user or customer to indicate the potential for aninadvertent operation dry pipe valve 20 (e.g., false trip) due to a lackof differential pressure. If the air pressure is at or above the MRAPvalue, the process goes back to step 2210. The DP detector circuit 2132can provide an alarm if the fire suppression system 10 trips due to theP_(AIR) dropping below the MRAP whether the trip was due to a falsecondition or a valid condition in the system 10. In some embodiments,the DP detector circuit 2132 (or another circuit) can provide a low airpressure alarm based on P_(AIR) being at or below a predetermined lowair pressure value and/or a high air pressure alarm based on P_(AIR)being at or above a high air pressure alarm. In some embodiments, the DPdetector circuit 2132 (or another circuit) can provide a low waterpressure alarm based on P_(W) being at or below a predetermined lowwater pressure value and/or a high water pressure alarm based on P_(W)being at or above a high air pressure alarm. In some embodiments, someor all of the calculations and alerts performed by DP detector circuit2132 are performed by an external device (e.g., monitoring platform230).

As described above, systems and methods of the present disclosure cancreate a low air pressure alarm threshold that dynamically changes towater supply fluctuations in real time. For example, the MRAP value canbe updated in real-time by constantly monitoring the system water supplypressure P_(W) and dynamically modifying the old MRAP valve asconditions change. As compared to some systems that use a fixed airpressure alarm threshold, systems and methods of the present disclosurecan alert the user or customer that the fire suppression system ispotentially in an unstable condition (e.g., can initiate a false trip)due to changes in the water supply pressure. These unstable conditionscan go unnoticed in some systems.

Once an alarm has been initiated, the operator can take remedial actionto prevent the false trip such as, e.g., adjusting the air pressurehigher and/or the water pressure lower to prevent a false trip. The DPMdevice 2100 (or another device such as, e.g., monitoring platform 230)can automatically provide the remedial action by adjusting the airpressure and/or the water pressure to prevent or lessen the chances of afalse trip. For example, the DP detector circuit 2132 (or some othercircuit) can control devices (not shown) that regulate the air pressurein piping system 50 at the outlet of the dry pipe valve 20 and/or thewater pressure at the inlet to the dry pipe valve 20. In someembodiments, the remedial action that is taken (either manually by theoperator or automatically by the DPM device 2100 or by another device(e.g., monitoring platform 230)) to prevent the false trip is placingthe fire suppression system off-line until the problem is corrected.

As depicted in FIG. 9 , the DPM device 2100 can include a pressuresensor 2134 to sense the supply air pressure from the source, e.g., atank and/or a compressor. The DPM monitoring and control circuit 2110can include a compressor air detector circuit 2138 that receives thecompressor air pressure P_(C) from pressure sensor 2134. The compressorpressure P_(C) can be compared to a predetermined value or values by thecompressor air detector circuit 2138 to provides alerts if thecompressor pressure P_(C) is at or above a predetermined high compressorpressure and/or at or below a predetermined low compressor air pressure.A compressor air pressure value P_(C) that is below the predeterminedlow compressor air pressure value can indicate the potential for aninadvertent operation (e.g., false trip) of the dry pipe valve 20. Forexample, if the compressor air is not able to replenish the air thatkeeps clapper 20 b closed (e.g., due to leaks in the piping system 50),the dry pipe valve 20 could eventually trip. Monitoring the compressorair pressure value P_(C) can provide advance warning of such a problem.Once an alarm has been initiated, the remedial action can be takeneither manually by the operator or automatically by compressor airdetector circuit 2138 or by another device (e.g., monitoring platform230) to prevent the false trip, such as, e.g., placing the firesuppression system off-line until the problem is corrected. In someembodiments, some or all of the calculations and alerts performed bycompressor air detector circuit 2138 are performed by an external device(e.g., monitoring platform 230).

As depicted in FIG. 9 , the DPM device 2100 can include a pressuresensor 2136 to sense the intermediate chamber air pressure in dry pipevalve 20. The intermediate chamber in a dry pipe valve is a cavitybetween on the underside of the clapper 20 b. The intermediate chamberis formed when the clapper 20 b seals against the valve seat. Theintermediate chamber has a passage to the atmosphere and the passage isconnected to a water motor alarm (not shown) and/or a water pressurealarm 24 as depicted in FIG. 1 . The intermediate chamber pressure inthe clapper type valve depicted in FIG. 1 is typically zero (e.g., atatmospheric pressure) when the fire suppression system in the readystate. Leaks can occur around the clapper 20 b such that thedifferential pressure between the air side and the water side of theclapper 20 b is lost and the dry pipe valve 20 will inadvertently open,e.g., a false trip of the fire suppression system will occur. The DPMmonitoring and conversion circuit 2110 can include a valve chamberpressure detector circuit 2142 that reads a pressure value P_(CH) fromthe pressure sensor 2136. The intermediate chamber pressure P_(CH) canbe compared to a predetermined intermediate chamber air pressure valueor values by the valve chamber pressure detector circuit 2142 toprovides alerts if the intermediate chamber pressure P_(CH) is too high.A P_(CH) value that is above the predetermined value can indicate thepotential for an inadvertent operation (e.g., false trip) of the firesuppression system because the differential pressure across the clapper20 b may not be enough to keep the dry pipe valve closed. Once an alarmhas been initiated, the operator can execute remedial action to preventthe false trip such as, e.g., adjusting the air pressure higher and/orthe water pressure lower to prevent a false trip. The DPM device 2100(or another device such as, e.g., monitoring platform 230) canautomatically provide the remedial action by adjusting the air pressureand/or the water pressure to prevent or lessen the chances of a falsetrip. In some embodiments, the remedial action that is taken (eithermanually by the operator or automatically by the DPM device 2100 or byanother device (e.g., monitoring platform 230)) to prevent the falsetrip is placing the fire suppression system off-line until the problemis corrected. In some embodiments, some or all of the calculations andalerts performed by valve chamber pressure detector circuit 2142 areperformed by an external device (e.g., monitoring platform 230).

As depicted in FIG. 9 , the DPM device 2100 can include a temperaturesensor 2120. The temperature sensor 2120 can be disposed on the dry pipevalve 20 on the inlet water side and senses the surface temperature ofthe dry pipe valve 20. The temperature sensor 2120 can be disposedinside the dry pipe valve 20 similar to temperature sensor 120 discussedabove. The DPM monitoring and conversion circuit 2110 can include atemperature detector circuit 2136 a that receives the signal fromtemperature sensor 2120 and converts the sensor signal to a temperaturevalue. The temperature sensor 2120 can e.g., a thermocouple, RTD, or athermistor (NTC or PTC). The temperature sensor 2120 can be a 10K NTCthermistor. The temperature value from sensor 2120 can be read byappropriate circuitry in DPM monitoring and conversion circuit 2110 oranother device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) to predict potentialproblems due to the temperature, e.g., problems such as whether and whenany water in the dry pipe valve 20 will freeze.

In some embodiments, a second temperature sensor 2125 senses the ambienttemperature outside the dry pipe valve 20. For example, the temperaturesensor 2125 can sense the temperature of the ambient air surrounding thedry pipe valve 20. The temperature sensor 2125 can be disposed incontrol unit 2104, such as in the DPM monitoring and conversion circuit2110. In some embodiments, e.g., as depicted in FIG. 9 , the temperaturesensor 2125 is disposed outside the DPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 2110. The temperature detector circuit 2136 b can receive thesignal from temperature sensor 2125 and convert the sensor signal to atemperature value. The temperature sensor 2125 can be e.g., athermocouple, RTD, or a thermistor (NTC or PTC). In some embodiments,the temperature sensor 2125 is a 10K NTC thermistor. By sensing both thetemperature of the dry pipe valve 20 and the ambient temperaturesurrounding the dry pipe valve 20, the two temperatures can be read andcompared by appropriate circuitry in DPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 2110 or another device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) topredict potential problems in the dry pipe valve 20 due to thetemperature, e.g., whether and when any water will freeze. For example,the DPM monitoring and conversion circuit 2110 or another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can predict whether there will be a failure ofdry pipe valve 20 (and thus the potential for a false trip of the firesuppression system) based on the temperature readings of the dry pipevalve 20 and/or the ambient temperature outside the dry pipe valve 20.For example, the monitoring and conversion circuit 2110 and/or anotherdevice (e.g., monitoring platform 230) can implement the logic describedin flow diagram 300, as discussed above. The temperature sensor 2120 canbe mounted on the pipe instead of being disposed inside the pipe. Thetemperature sensor 2120 can be disposed in a sensor assembly similar totemperature sensor 120 and CM sensor assembly 102 to measure thetemperature inside the inside the pipe. In some embodiments, DPMmonitoring and conversion circuit 2110 or another device (e.g.,monitoring platform 230) can be configured to provide a high temperaturealarm based on the temperature sensor 2120 and/or temperature sensor2125 being at or above a respective predetermined high temperaturevalue. A high temperature value can alert the user of a potential falsetrip due to the temperature of the water increasing the water pressureP_(W) to a point where a trip can occur.

As depicted in FIG. 9 , the DPM device 2100 can include a transmissioncircuit 2116 that includes a transmitter or transceiver for transmittingsensor values and/or information derived from the sensor values (suchas, for example, pressure readings, temperature readings (ambient and/orequipment environment), water freeze indications, and/or other sensorvalues and/or information) to external devices (e.g., monitoringplatform 230) via, e.g., communication network 220. In addition to thevarious values and information discussed above, the transmission circuit2116 can also transmit other information generated by the DPM device2100 such as the status of the DPM device 2100 (e.g., on-line, off-line,working properly, not working, needs repair, and/or some other statusvalue), status of the individual pressure and/or temperature sensors(e.g., working, not working, value out of range, and/or some otherinformation concerning the sensors), and/or some other informationrelated to the readiness of DPM device 2100.

The transmission circuit 2116 can use wired and/or wireless networks tocommunicate the values and/or information to the external devices. Thetransmission circuit 2116 can use a wireless network to communicate thevalues and/or information to the external devices. The wireless networkcan have a range of up to 3 miles. In some embodiments, the transmissioncircuit 2116 can transmit the values and/or information to a gateway(discussed further below) using the wireless network, and the gatewaytransmits the values and/or information using a cellular or IP-basednetwork to the external devices via communications network 220. Thetransmission circuit 2116 can use a LoRaWAN wireless network via aMultiConnect® xDot™ made by MultiTech. In some embodiments, thetransmission circuit 2116 can be configured to transmit the valuesand/or information over a period of time in batches.

The control unit 2104 can include a power source 2112. The power source2112 can provide power to the DPM monitoring and conversion circuit2110. The power source 2112 can be a battery, such as a battery that is“off-the-shelf.” In some embodiments, the battery can be a lithium ionbattery (or batteries), which provides a long battery life. The batterycan last 6 to 10 years without the need for replacement. The powersource 2112 can be monitored by a power monitoring circuit 2112 a thatprovides an alert or alarm if there is a problem with the power source2112. For example, if the power source 2112 is a battery, the powersource monitoring circuit 2112 a can provide an alert/alarm when thebattery is low and/or needs to be replaced. In some embodiments, thebattery is a rechargeable battery. The battery can be replaced after itis discharged. In case of a rechargeable battery, the power to chargethe battery in power source 2112 can be supplied by a DC or AC busconnected to a utility grid and/or supplied by solar cells. In someembodiments, the battery of power source 2112 is not field replaceableor rechargeable. In this case, the battery can be configured to last theexpected life of the fire suppression system and/or the DPM device 2100can be shipped to a service center for battery replacement. The powersource 2112 can convert power from an external source such as, forexample, the DC or AC power bus, which can be connected to a pluralityof edge devices.

In some embodiments, the DPM monitoring and conversion circuit 2110 caninclude local memory (e.g., machine-readable medium) to record and storeone or more of reference values (e.g., VTR, BufferPress, other thresholdvalues), the measured sensor values (e.g., P_(AIR), P_(W), P_(C),P_(CH), and/or temperature values), the calculated values (e.g., MRAP,other threshold values, temperatures), and/or other calculated and/ordetermined information. The DPM monitoring and conversion circuit 2110can include look-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other dataconversion method to make the correlation between the pressure valuesand the threshold values and to make the correlation between temperaturevalues and the determination of potential problems for the equipment,e.g., a determination as to whether and when the water will freeze. Anexternal device (e.g., monitoring platform 230) can includelook-up-tables, databases, equations, or some other data conversionmethod to make the correlations as discussed above. The external devicecan include memory (e.g., machine-readable medium) to record and storeone or more of reference values (e.g., VTR, BufferPress, other thresholdvalues), the measured sensor values (e.g., P_(AIR), P_(W), P_(C),P_(CH), and/or temperature values), the calculated values (e.g., MRAP,other threshold values, temperatures), and/or other calculated and/ordetermined information.

The pressure monitoring, threshold conversions, temperature monitoring,and/or transmitting functions discussed above can be incorporated in toa one or more programmable microprocessors. For example, as depicted inFIG. 9 , a microprocessor 2145 can be programmed to perform thefunctions of the temperature monitor circuit 2140, the differentialpressure detector circuit 2132, the compressor air detector circuit2138, the valve chamber pressure detector circuit 2142, and/or thetransmitter circuit 2116. The programmable microprocessor can be anAdvanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor such as, e.g., a MultiConnect®xDot™ that communicates over a LoRaWAN network. The programmableprocessor 2145 can receive the temperature feedback signals fromtemperature detector 2120 and/or temperature detector 2125. Theprogrammable processor 2145 can then perform the functions oftemperature monitoring circuit 2140 (e.g., determining freeze alerts) asdiscussed above. In some embodiments, the programmable processor 2145can be configured to read the pressure signals P_(AIR), P_(W), P_(C),and/or P_(CH) from the fire suppression system 10. The programmableprocessor 2145 can then perform the functions of the differentialpressure detector circuit 2132, the compressor air detector circuit2138, and the valve chamber pressure detector circuit 2142 as discussedabove.

In some embodiments, the DPM device 2100 can be configured tocontinuously measure the pressure signals P_(AIR), P_(W), P_(C), and/orP_(CH) from the fire suppression system 10. A constant drain on thepower by continuously checking for the pressures can be undesirable andconsidered a waste of energy and/or inefficient. Continuously checkingthe temperature signals may not be worth the cost to battery life. Forexample, if the temperatures are above freezing and/or fairly constant,a once a day check may be sufficient. The microprocessor 2145 or one ormore of the individual circuits in the DPM monitoring and conversioncircuit 2110 (e.g., the temperature monitoring circuit 2140, thedifferential pressure detector circuit 2132, the compressor air detectorcircuit 2138, and/or the valve chamber pressure detector circuit 2142)can be programmed to take readings for a predetermined duration of time.The predetermined duration of time can range from a few seconds to a fewminutes depending on the number of measurements that are required. Forexample, each temperature related, and/or pressure related measurementcan be taken a predetermined number of times. When more than onemeasurement is taken, the measurements are averaged. In addition tolimiting the duration of time that the readings are taken, the timeperiod between when the microprocessor 2145 or the appropriate circuittakes the temperature related and/or pressure related measurements canbe based on a predetermined time period (e.g., every predeterminednumber of minutes, days, weeks, months, and/or years). The predeterminedtime periods for the respective measurements can be set independently.For example, the pressure related measurements and/or the temperaturerelated measurements can be performed once per minute. The time periodbetween when the measurements are taken can be based on one or more ofthe following performance criteria: required battery life, remainingbattery life, the temperature of the dry pipe valve 20, the ambienttemperature, and/or some other performance criteria. For example, if theDPM device 2100 is to be installed for a period of, e.g., 10 years, themicroprocessor 2145 or the appropriate circuit can be configured to takeinto account this factor when determining when and/or how often to takethe measurements. The microprocessor 2145 or the appropriate circuit canbe configured to take the battery life (e.g., high/low, number of yearsremaining) as another factor to take into consideration.

Operation of the transmission circuit 2116 can be regulated to conservepower. In some embodiments, the values and/or information transmitted toand measured by the microprocessor 2145 (or individually from thetemperature monitor circuit 2140, the differential pressure detectorcircuit 2132, the compressor air detector circuit 2138, and/or the valvechamber pressure detector circuit 2142) can be transmitted by thetransmitter 2116 as respective measurements are being made. In someembodiments, the time period for transmission of the measured valuesand/or information is independent of the time period that themeasurements are made. For example, the transmission circuit 2116 cantransmit values and/or status information once each day or some otherpredetermined time period regardless of when or how often themeasurements are made. The measured values and/or status information canbe transmitted when there is a change in the measured values. Forexample, the measured values and/or status information can betransmitted when the value changes by a predetermined amount or thestatus information changes. For example, the temperature readings fromtemperature sensors 2120 and 2125 can be transmitted by transmittercircuit 2116 when they change by a predetermined amount such as, e.g., 2deg. F., and/or the pressure readings are transmitted when they changeby a predetermined amount such as, e.g., 1 psi.

FIG. 11 depicts an example of operating environment 200 that may includeone or more mobile devices 210 (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer,mobile media device, mobile gaming device, vehicle-based computer,wearable computing device, portable computer, or other portablecommunication device), stationary electronic device 215 (e.g., desktopcomputers, servers, mainframes, or another type of non-portableelectronic device), communications network 220, monitoring platform 230(e.g., running on one or more remote servers or mainframes), monitoringsystem 270 (including one or more edge devices, local processing unit235, and/or gateway unit 400) located in a building 240, user managementinterface 250, and a customer database 260. The end user can monitor,e.g., by means of an app on the mobile device 210 and/or the stationaryelectronic device 215, the edge devices discussed above, including thecorrosion monitoring device 100 which monitors the level of corrosion,the rate of corrosion, the thickness of the equipment (e.g., thicknessof the pipe walls), the temperature of the equipment environment (e.g.,temperature inside the pipe), the ambient temperature (e.g., temperatureoutside the pipe), and/or the presence or absence of water; the lowpoint monitoring device 1100 which monitors for the presence of water,the temperature of the pipe, and/or the ambient temperature surroundingthe pipe; and the differential pressure device 2100 which monitors thewater pressure at the inlet of the dry pipe valve, air pressure at theoutlet of the dry pipe valve, compressor air pressure, intermediatechamber air pressure, the temperature of the dry pipe valve, and/or theambient temperature surrounding the dry pipe valve. For example, thedata and/or information from the edge devices and/or the monitoringplatform 230 be displayed, e.g., on a system specific dashboard, foreasy viewing of current data, historic data, and real-time status ofsystem health. The display can be a web browser-based application and/oranother type of application on the mobile device 210 and/or thestationary electronic device 215.

Information such as sensor values, the status of the monitoring system270 (e.g., on-line, off-line, working properly, not working, needsrepair, and/or some other status value), status of the individualvoltage, current, inductance, continuity, pressure, and/or temperaturesensors (e.g., working, not working, value out of range, and/or someother information concerning the sensors), status of the corrosionsensors (e.g., closed or open (broken), expected life, or some otherinformation concerning the corrosion sensors), and/or some otherinformation related to the readiness of monitoring system 270 can betransmitted to the mobile device 210 and/or electronic device 215. Themobile device 210 and/or electronic device 215 can provide alerts,predicted maintenance times, predicted failures, predicted inadvertenttrips of the fire suppression system (i.e., false trips), and/or otherinformation that shows the status of the edge devices, the firesuppression system 10, and/or the monitoring system 270.

Mobile devices 210, stationary electronic device 215 and the monitoringsystem 270 can include network communication components that enablecommunication with remote hosting servers or mainframes (e.g.,monitoring platform 230), other stationary computers and servers, orother portable electronic devices by transmitting and receiving wirelesssignals using licensed, semi-licensed or unlicensed spectrum overcommunications network 220. In some embodiments, communications network220 may comprise multiple networks, even multiple heterogeneousnetworks, such as one or more border networks, voice networks, broadbandnetworks, service provider networks, Internet Service Provider (ISP)networks, and/or Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTNs),interconnected via gateways operable to facilitate communicationsbetween and among the various networks. Communications network 220 canalso include third-party communications networks such as a LoRaWANnetwork, a Global System for Mobile (GSM) mobile communications network,a code/time division multiple access (CDMA/TDMA) mobile communicationsnetwork, a 3rd or 4th generation (3G/4G) mobile communications network(e.g., General Packet Radio Service (GPRS/EGPRS)), Enhanced Data ratesfor GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), or Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), or other communicationsnetwork. In some embodiments, communication network is a cloud-basednetwork. For example, monitoring platform 230 can be a cloud-basedbackend server that includes the computational engines to calculate thecorrosion, freeze alerts, temperature alarms, air and/or water pressurealarms, and/or water presence calculations discussed above.

Mobile devices 210 may execute network communication. For example, amobile device 210 may be configured to communicate over a GSM mobiletelecommunications network. As a result, the mobile device 210 orcomponents of the corrosion monitoring system 270 may include aSubscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that stores an InternationalMobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number that is used to identify themobile device 210 on the GSM mobile communications network or othernetworks, for example, those employing 3G and/or 4G wireless protocols.If the mobile device 210, stationary electronic device 215 or monitoringsystem 270 is configured to communicate over another communicationsnetwork, the mobile device 210, stationary electronic device 215 orcomponents of the monitoring system 270 may include other componentsthat enable it to be identified on the other communications networks.

In some embodiments, mobile devices 210, stationary electronic device215 or components of the monitoring system 270 in building 240 mayinclude components that enable them to connect to a communicationsnetwork using Generic Access Network (GAN) or Unlicensed Mobile Access(UMA) standards and protocols. For example, a mobile device 210 and/orelectronic device 215 may include components that support InternetProtocol (IP)-based communication over a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN) and components that enable communication with thetelecommunications network over the IP-based WLAN. Mobile devices 210,stationary electronic device 215 or components of the monitoring system270 may include one or more mobile applications that need to transferdata or check-in with monitoring platform 230.

In some embodiments, monitoring platform 230 can be configured toreceive signals regarding the state of one or more monitoring systems270. The signals can indicate the current status of a variety of systemcomponents. For example, in accordance with some embodiments, thesignals can include information related to the level and rate ofcorrosion; the thickness of the pipe walls; air and/or water pressuresin the valve, piping system, and compressor; the temperatures of a pipeand/or valve in the piping system; the ambient temperature outside thepipe and/or valve; and/or the presence or absence of water in the pipeand/or valve. In addition, monitoring platform 230 can be configured toreceive signals related to other information such as sensor values; thestatus of the monitoring system 270 (e.g., on-line, off-line, workingproperly, not working, needs repair, and/or some other status value);status of the individual voltage, current, inductance, continuity,pressure, and/or temperature sensors (e.g., working, not working, valueout of range, and/or some other information concerning the sensors);status of the corrosion sensors (e.g., closed or open (broken) loop,expected life, or some other information concerning the corrosionsensors); and/or some other information related to the readiness of theedge devices and/or monitoring system 270. The monitoring platform 230can also be configured to provide alerts, predicted maintenance times,predicted failures, predicted inadvertent trips of the fire suppressionsystem (i.e., false trips), and/or other information that shows thestatus of the edge devices, the fire suppression system 10, and/or themonitoring system 270 in the building 240 to external devices such as,e.g., mobile device 210 and/or stationary electronic device 215. In someembodiments, the monitoring platform 230 is a cloud-based backend serverthat includes the computational engines to calculate the corrosion,freeze alerts, temperature alarms, air and/or water pressure alarms,and/or water presence calculations discussed above.

Monitoring platform 230 can provide a centralized reporting platform forcompanies having multiple properties with monitoring systems 270. Forexample, a hotel chain or restaurant chain may desire to monitor pipingsystems in multiple properties via monitoring platform 230. Thisinformation can be stored in a database in one or more monitoring systemprofiles. Each of the monitoring system profiles can include a locationof a monitoring system 270, a monitoring system identifier, a list ofcomponents of the monitoring system 270, a list of sensors available onthe monitoring system 270, current and historical state information(including information related to the sensors, the level/rate ofcorrosion, the temperature of the water, ambient temperatures, air andwater pressures, presence or absence of water, and/or status of themonitoring system 270, etc.), contact information (e.g., phone numbers,mailing addresses, etc.), maintenance logs, and other information. Byrecording the maintenance logs, for example, monitoring platform 230 cancreate certifiable maintenance records to third parties (e.g., insurancecompanies, fire marshals, etc.) which can be stored in customer database260.

The monitoring system 270 in building 240 can include a local processingunit 235 that communicates with one or more edge devices. Localprocessing unit 235 can be configured to receive the sensor valuesand/or other information, as discussed above, from one or more of theedge devices and transmit the sensor values and/or other information tomonitoring platform 230 via, e.g., communications network 220. In someembodiments, local processing unit 235 can directly communicate thesensor values and/or other information from one or more edge devices tomonitoring platform 230. The monitoring system 270 in building 240 caninclude a gateway 400 that can communicate with one or more localprocessing units 235 and the local processing unit 235 can transmit thesensor values and/or other information from one or more monitoringdevices 100 to the gateway unit 400. The monitoring system 270 inbuilding 240 may not include a local processing unit 235, but includes agateway 400 that can be configured to directly receive the sensor valuesand/or other information from the one or more edge devices via thetransmission circuit in each of the edge devices, e.g., via a LoRaWANwireless network. The gateway unit 400, upon receiving the signalvalues, can then transmit (e.g., using a cellular or IP-based network)the sensor values and/or other information from one or more edge devicesto the monitoring platform 230 (or other device) via communicationsnetwork 220. The monitoring platform 230 (or other device) can be acloud-based server or device.

In some embodiments, the edge devices can include local memory to recordinformation over a period of time. Then, local processing unit 235and/or gateway 400 can transmit the information in batches to themonitoring platform 230. These transmissions may be prescheduled (e.g.,every ten minutes, every hour, once a day, etc.), event triggered,and/or coordinate with respective edge devices. As one example, thesystem may send more frequent transmissions based on the type of pipingsystem (wet or dry), based on the temperature of the pipe and/or valvein the system 10, the ambient temperature outside the pipe and/or valve,water and/or air pressures, the presence or absence of water, thecorrosion level value, the corrosion rate value, and/or some othercriteria. The information recorded by the monitoring device 100 can be,e.g., information related to the sensor values (e.g., voltage, current,temperature, inductance, continuity, pressure, or some other sensorvalue); information related to the level of corrosion and rate ofcorrosion; information related to the thickness of the pipe walls;information related to the temperature of the pipe and/or valve in thesystem 10; information related to the ambient temperature outside thepipe and/or valve; information related to water and air pressures;information related to the presence or absence of water in the system;and/or information related to the status of the edge devices, includingstatus of sensors, (e.g., closed or open (broken) coupons, on-line,off-line, working properly, not working, needs repair, and/or some otherstatus value).

FIG. 12 depicts local processing unit 235 associated with one or moremonitoring devices 100 and a gateway unit 400 capable of receivingtransmissions from one or more local processing units 235. Localprocessing unit 235 and gateway unit 400 can be low-power,microprocessor-based devices focused solely on a particular application.These units may include processing units, memories, I/O capabilities,audible and visual signaling devices, and external communicationscapabilities. For example, local processing unit 235 can includecommunications module 402, RAM 404, microprocessor 406, power source408, USB 410, Bluetooth 412, I/O's 414A-414D, piezo 416 for providing alocal audible alarm, reset 418 for resetting the alarm, and LEDs 420.Local processing unit 235 can communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one ormore monitoring devices 100 and other devices monitoring the pipingsystem in building 240. The local processing unit 235 can be configuredto directly receive the sensor values and/or other information from theone or more edge devices via the transmission circuit in each edgedevice, e.g., via a LoRaWAN wireless network. Similarly, gateway unit400 can include Wi-Fi or cellular circuitry 422, SD card 424, RAM 426,microprocessor 428, power source 430, Ethernet 432, USB 434, Bluetooth436, I/O's 438A-438B, communications module 440, piezo 442 for providinga local audible alarm, reset 444 for resetting the alarm, and/or LEDs446. When gateway unit 400 includes cellular circuitry, in someembodiments, a SIM card that stores an IMSI number is used to identifythe gateway unit 400 on a GSM mobile communications network or othernetworks, for example, those employing 3G and/or 4G wireless protocols.

Microprocessors 406 and 428 can have unique identifiers (IDs) programmedor set at the manufacturing level. The unique IDs can be used to link orassociate local processing unit 235 and/or gateway unit 400 withcustomers, particular monitoring systems 270, physical sites, and/orother information. Owners and system service providers can be notified,e.g., via mobile device 210 and/or stationary electronic device 215, ofthe level of corrosion, the rate of corrosion, the thickness of the pipewalls, water and air pressures in the system, the temperature of thepipes and/or valves in the system, the ambient temperature outside thepipes and/or valves in the system, the presence or absence of water,sensor values, the status of the monitoring system 270, the status of anedge device, (e.g., on-line, off-line, working properly, not working,needs repair, and/or some other status value), status of the individualvoltage, current, inductance, continuity, pressure, and/or temperaturesensors (e.g., working, not working, value out of range, and/or someother information concerning the sensors), status of the corrosionsensors (e.g., closed or open (broken) loop, expected life, or someother information concerning the corrosion sensors), and/or some otherinformation related to the readiness of monitoring system 270. Ownersand system service providers can be notified, e.g., via mobile device210 and/or stationary electronic device 215, of alerts, predictedmaintenance times, predicted failures, predicted inadvertent trips ofthe fire suppression system (e.g., false trips), and/or otherinformation that shows the status of the piping system, and/or themonitoring system 270. User profiles enable the end user to define hisor her type or types of notification and when they occur (any timeversus specific times). Accordingly, the notification capabilities arenot solely limited to alarm or alert notifications. The system iscapable of identifying maintenance activity and/or normal states, andthe system can be configured to notify end users, technicians andcustomers of the states.

I/Os 414A-414D can be simple contact closure with a mechanical option toconnect a switch to the normally open or normally closed terminals. Thiscan help accommodate a variety of system configurations and may resultin less field programming. Audible and visual warnings can be local(within the vicinity of the monitored system). For example, visualindicators may be board-based LED's 420, and audible would be a buzzeror piezo 416. Other embodiments may also include dry or wet contacts toprovide binary alarm, warning, supervisory, trouble or other alerts tosecondary fire, security, building automation or like systems on site.

Local processing unit 235 and/or gateway unit 400 can have a variety ofexternal communications. In some embodiments, these components cansupport serial or USB communications so that the device can beprogrammed, configured or interrogated. A local Ethernet port 432(supporting POE) may also be available in some embodiments. Additionalcommunications options may include the ability to add a daughter boardfor Wi-Fi or Cellular connectivity. The local processing unit and/orgateway 400 can be configured to communicate over a LoRaWAN wirelessnetwork. This component can allow all data and events local to thesystem to a centralized server (e.g., monitoring platform 230).

FIG. 13 depicts a set of components 500 within a monitoring platform230. According to the embodiments shown in FIG. 12 , monitoring platform230 can include memory 505, one or more processors 510, communicationsmodule 515, status module 520, identification module 525, datacollection module 530, technician locator module 535, service requestmodule 540, recordation module 545, analytics engine 550, predictionengine 555, and graphical user interface (GUI) generation module 560.Each of these modules can be embodied as special-purpose hardware (e.g.,one or more ARMs, ASICS, PLDs, FPGAs, or the like), or as programmablecircuitry (e.g., one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, or thelike) appropriately programmed with software and/or firmware, or as acombination of special-purpose hardware and programmable circuitry.Components 500 can be combined in various combinations. Status module520 and identification module 525 can be combined into a single modulefor determining the status of one or more corrosion monitoring systems270.

Memory 505 can be any device, mechanism, or populated data structureused for storing information. In accordance with some embodiments of thepresent technology, memory 505 can encompass any type of, but is notlimited to, volatile memory, nonvolatile memory and dynamic memory. Forexample, memory 505 can be random access memory, memory storage devices,optical memory devices, media magnetic media, floppy disks, magnetictapes, hard drives, SDRAM, RDRAM, DDR RAM, erasable programmableread-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmableread-only memories (EEPROMs), compact disks, DVDs, and/or the like. Inaccordance with some embodiments, memory 505 may include one or moredisk drives, flash drives, one or more databases, one or more tables,one or more files, local cache memories, processor cache memories,relational databases, flat databases, and/or the like. In addition,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate many additionaldevices and techniques for storing information that can be used asmemory 505.

Memory 505 may be used to store instructions for running one or moreapplications or modules on processor(s) 510. For example, memory 505could be used in one or more embodiments to house all or some of theinstructions needed to execute the functionality of communicationsmodule 515, status module 520, identification module 525, datacollection module 530, technician locator module 535, service requestmodule 540, recordation module 545, analytics engine 550, predictionengine 555 and/or GUI generation module 560. While not shown in FIG. 13, in some embodiments, an operating system can be used to provide asoftware package that is capable of managing the hardware resources ofmonitoring platform 230. The operating system can also provide commonservices for software applications running on processor(s) 510.

Communications module 515 can be configured to manage and translate anyrequests from external devices (e.g., mobile devices 210, electronicdevice 215 corrosion monitoring systems 270, etc.) or from graphicaluser interfaces into a format needed by the destination component and/orsystem. Similarly, communications module 515 may be used to communicatebetween the system, modules, databases, or other components ofmonitoring platform 230 that use different communication protocols, dataformats, or messaging routines. For example, in some embodiments,communications module 515 can receive measurements of the current stateof one or more monitoring systems 270. Communications module 515 can beused to transmit status reports, alerts, logs, and other information tovarious devices.

Status module 520 can determine the status of the equipment beingmonitored, e.g., piping systems, corresponding to one or more corrosionmonitoring systems 270. For example, status module 520 may usecommunications module 515 to directly request a status of equipmentmonitored by a monitoring system 270 from one or more gateways 400 orlocal processing units 235. Identification module 525 can be configuredto receive sensor data and/or other information, as discussed above,generated by the monitoring system 270, e.g., sensor data andinformation generated by monitoring devices 100. Using the receivedsensor data and/or other information, identification module 525 can thenidentify an operational status of the equipment being monitored by themonitoring system 270, e.g., a piping system. The operational statusand/or the sensor data itself can then be recorded within a monitoringprofile in a database for the monitored equipment. As a result, themonitoring profile can provide a history of the operational status ofthe equipment monitored by the monitoring system 270 over time. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the operational status can include afunctional status indicating that the equipment monitored by themonitoring system 270 should operate as expected, a maintenance statusindicating when the monitored equipment should undergo maintenanceand/or inspection, and an inoperative status indicating that themonitored equipment may not operate as expected.

Data received via communications module 515 can be accessed by datacollection module 530 for processing, formatting, and storage. Datacollection module 530 can keep track of the last communication from eachof the corrosion monitoring systems 270 and generate an alert if anyedge device fails to report on schedule (e.g., every minute, every fiveminutes, or other preset schedule) and/or when a request is made. Datacollection module 530 can also review the quality of the data receivedand identify any potential issues. For example, if a data set from amonitoring system 270 includes various sensor data, data collectionmodule 530 can analyze the data to determine any erratic behavior oroutliers that may indicate that a sensor is beginning to fail.

Technician locator module 535 can be configured to receive location andschedule updates from mobile devices 210 associated with technicians.Service request module 540 can be configured to identify when theoperational status of the equipment monitored by monitoring system 270,e.g., a piping system, is inoperative and/or is about to have aninadvertent operation and identify an available technician using thetechnician locator. As a technician is servicing the monitoredequipment, he or she may use a computer application or a mobileapplication to report various findings, observations, parts replaced,and the like. As this information is transmitted to monitoring platform230, recordation module 545 can record the information from thetechnician in the appropriate corrosion monitoring profile.

Analytics engine 550 can analyze the sensor data from one or moremonitoring devices 100 and perform the functions discussed above withrespect to edge devices, including corrosion monitoring device 100, LPMdevice 1100, and/or DPM device 2100. Because these function arediscussed above, for brevity, they will not be further discussed. Theanalytics engine can also generate a correlation model that ispredictive of when a failure and/or an inadvertent operation (i.e.,false trip) of the fire suppression system is likely, e.g., due tothinning pipe walls, predictive of when freezing of the pipes and/orvalves is likely to occur, predictive of some other type of abnormaloperating state of the fire suppression system, predictive of whencertain maintenance and/or inspection activities should occur, and/orpredicts some other type of abnormal operating condition and/orinspection activity. The correlation model (or models) are generatedbased on one or more of the following: sensor data relating to theelectrical characteristic of each the corrosion sensors, e.g., couponportions 106, relating to the level and/or the rate of corrosion; othersensor data such as water and/or air pressures in the system, thetemperature of the pipe and/or valve, and/or ambient temperature outsidethe pipe and/or valve, and/or the presence or absence of water; andother types of information such as the thickness of the piping wall, theequipment material, and/or observations from the technicians duringinspections. Prediction engine 555 can be configured to process thesensor data in real-time against the correlation model or modelsgenerated by the analytics engine 550 and generate an alarm condition,an inspection request based on the information gathered from the sensorsin the corrosion monitoring system 270, and/or determine the respectivemeasurement intervals for the monitoring devices 100. For example, ifthe edge device indicate that the possibility of an inadvertentoperation (e.g., false trip) of the fire suppression system is low, thetime between maintenance inspections and/or measurement intervals can beextended. If the edge devices indicate there is could be a problem, thetime between inspections and/or the measurement intervals can bedecreased. Analytics engine 550 can monitor the sensor data and generateother types of analytics. In some embodiments, part or all of thefunctions of analytics engine 550 and/or prediction engine 555 can beincorporated into local processing unit 235 and/or the edge devices.

GUI generation module 560 can generate one or more GUI screens thatallow for interaction with a user. In at least one embodiment, GUIgeneration module 560 can generate a graphical user interface allowing auser to set preferences, review reports, create profiles, set deviceconstraints, and/or otherwise receive or convey information about devicecustomization to the user. For example, GUI generation module 560 can beconfigured to retrieve, from the database, the information from themultiple corrosion monitoring profiles. Once the information has beenretrieved, GUI generation module 560 can generate a graphical userinterface allowing a user to see the operational status of any of theprofiles of the equipment being monitored, e.g., via mobile device 210and/or stationary electronic device 215. The information generated bythe analytics engine 550 and/or the prediction engine 555 as discussedabove are sent to the user and/or are available to the user via the GUIscreens.

Having now described some illustrative implementations, it is apparentthat the foregoing is illustrative and not limiting, having beenpresented by way of example. In particular, although many of theexamples presented herein involve specific combinations of method actsor system elements, those acts and those elements can be combined inother ways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements andfeatures discussed in connection with one implementation are notintended to be excluded from a similar role in other implementations orimplementations.

The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” “comprising” “having” “containing” “involving”“characterized by” “characterized in that” and variations thereofherein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, equivalentsthereof, and additional items, as well as alternate implementationsconsisting of the items listed thereafter exclusively. In oneimplementation, the systems and methods described herein consist of one,each combination of more than one, or all of the described elements,acts, or components.

Any references to implementations or elements or acts of the systems andmethods herein referred to in the singular can also embraceimplementations including a plurality of these elements, and anyreferences in plural to any implementation or element or act herein canalso embrace implementations including only a single element. Referencesin the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presentlydisclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements tosingle or plural configurations. References to any act or element beingbased on any information, act or element can include implementationswhere the act or element is based at least in part on any information,act, or element.

Any implementation disclosed herein can be combined with any otherimplementation or embodiment, and references to “an implementation,”“some implementations,” “one implementation” or the like are notnecessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the implementation can be included in at least one implementationor embodiment. Such terms as used herein are not necessarily allreferring to the same implementation. Any implementation can be combinedwith any other implementation, inclusively or exclusively, in any mannerconsistent with the aspects and implementations disclosed herein.

Where technical features in the drawings, detailed description or anyclaim are followed by reference signs, the reference signs have beenincluded to increase the intelligibility of the drawings, detaileddescription, and claims. Accordingly, neither the reference signs northeir absence have any limiting effect on the scope of any claimelements.

Systems and methods described herein may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the characteristics thereof. Furtherrelative parallel, perpendicular, vertical or other positioning ororientation descriptions include variations within +/−10% or +/−10degrees of pure vertical, parallel or perpendicular positioning.References to “approximately,” “about” “substantially” or other terms ofdegree include variations of +/−10% from the given measurement, unit, orrange unless explicitly indicated otherwise. Coupled elements can beelectrically, mechanically, or physically coupled with one anotherdirectly or with intervening elements. Scope of the systems and methodsdescribed herein is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather thanthe foregoing description, and changes that come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are embraced therein.

The term “coupled” and variations thereof includes the joining of twomembers directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may bestationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable orreleasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupleddirectly to each other, with the two members coupled with each otherusing a separate intervening member and any additional intermediatemembers coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled witheach other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as asingle unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” orvariations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directlycoupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modifiedby the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directlycoupled” means the joining of two members without any separateintervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the genericdefinition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical,electrical, or fluidic.

References to “or” can be construed as inclusive so that any termsdescribed using “or” can indicate any of a single, more than one, andall of the described terms. For example, a reference to “at least one of‘A’ and ‘B’” can include only ‘A’, only ‘B’, as well as both ‘A’ and‘B’. Such references used in conjunction with “comprising” or other openterminology can include additional items.

Modifications of described elements and acts such as variations insizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the variouselements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials,colors, orientations can occur without materially departing from theteachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein. Forexample, elements shown as integrally formed can be constructed ofmultiple parts or elements, the position of elements can be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements orpositions can be altered or varied. Other substitutions, modifications,changes and omissions can also be made in the design, operatingconditions and arrangement of the disclosed elements and operationswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,”“above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of variouselements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation ofvarious elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments,and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a monitoring device tomonitor a parameter corresponding to at least one of a corrosion, apresence of water, a differential pressure across a valve of a firesuppression system, and a temperature in a pipe of the fire suppressionsystem; one or more processors to: receive an indication of theparameter monitored by the device; determine that a valve tripping eventis to occur based on the received indication; and in response to thedetermination that the valve tripping event is to occur, generate analert indicating that the valve tripping event is to occur; and a userdevice to present display data regarding the alert.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, comprising: a communication network to exchange informationbetween the monitoring device and the user device.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, comprising: the one or more processors are incorporated intothe monitoring device.
 4. The system of claim 1, comprising: the one ormore processors are disposed remotely from the monitoring device, andthe monitoring device transmits the indication of the parameter to theone or more processors using a communication network.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, comprising: the monitoring device includes a corrosionmonitoring device to measure an electrical characteristic of a coupondisposed in the pipe, the coupon corrodes at a rate correlated to atleast one of a rate of corrosion and a level of corrosion of a wall ofthe pipe; and the one or more processors generate the alert to cause thefire suppression system to be in an off-line mode based on the at leastone of the rate of corrosion and the level of corrosion of the wall. 6.The system of claim 1, comprising: the monitoring device includes a lowpoint monitoring device to measure a continuity between a probe andpredetermined point on the piping system to determine a presence ofwater at a low point in the piping system of the fire suppressionsystem; and the alert indicates instructions to drain the water from thelow point based on the presence of water at the low point.
 7. The systemof claim 1, comprising: the monitoring device includes a differentialpressure monitoring device to measure water pressure at the input of thevalve and air pressure at the outlet of the valve to determine a ratiobetween the water pressure and the air pressure; and the alert indicatesinstructions to adjust at least one of the water pressure, the airpressure, and a setting affecting an air pressure alarm for the valvetripping event based on the ratio.
 8. The system of claim 1, comprising:the monitoring device includes a temperature monitoring device tomeasure a temperature of at least one of water in the piping system andan ambient temperature to determine whether water in the piping systemcan freeze; and the alert indicates instructions to drain the water fromthe piping system based on the determination that the water in thepiping system can freeze.
 9. The system of claim 1, comprising: the oneor more processors cause a control circuit to automatically perform aremedial action in response to determining that the valve tripping eventis expected to occur.
 10. The system of claim 1, comprising: acommunication network to exchange information between the monitoringdevice and the user device, the communication network includes a firstnetwork and a second network; and a gateway to communicate with themonitoring device using the first network and communicates with the userdevice using the second network.
 11. The system of claim 1, comprising:a communication network to exchange information between the monitoringdevice and the user device, the communication network includes a firstnetwork that is a wireless network and a second network that is at leastone of a cellular network and an internet protocol (IP)-based network.12. The system of claim 1, comprising: the user device is one of amobile device and a stationary electronic device.
 13. The system ofclaim 1, comprising: the user device presents the display data using atleast one of a web browser-based dashboard display and an app-baseddashboard display.
 14. A method, comprising: monitoring a parametercorresponding to at least one of a corrosion, a presence of water, adifferential pressure across a valve, and a temperature in a pipe;determining that a valve tripping event will occur based on theparameter; and in response to determining that the valve tripping eventwill occur, providing an alert for remedial action and transmitting datacorresponding to the alert for display on a user device using acommunication network.
 15. The method of claim 14, comprising:monitoring the parameter by measuring an electrical characteristic of acoupon disposed in the pipe, the coupon configured to corrode at a ratethat can be correlated to at least one of a rate of corrosion and alevel of corrosion of a wall of the pipe, and executing the remedialaction by placing the fire suppression system in an off-line mode basedon the at least one of the rate of corrosion and the level of corrosionof the wall.
 16. The method of claim 14, comprising: monitoring theparameter by measuring a continuity between a probe and a point on thepipe to determine a presence of water at a low point in the pipe; andexecuting the remedial action by draining the water from the low pointof the pipe based on determining the presence of water at the low point.17. The method of claim 14, comprising: monitoring the parameter bymeasuring water pressure at an input of the valve and air pressure at anoutlet of the valve to determine a ratio between the water pressure andthe air pressure; and executing the remedial action by adjusting atleast one of the water pressure, the air pressure and a settingaffecting an air pressure alarm for the valve tripping event based onthe determined ratio.
 18. The method of claim 14, comprising: monitoringthe parameter by measuring a temperature of at least one of water in thepiping system and an ambient temperature to determine whether water inthe pipe can freeze; and executing the remedial action by draining thewater from the piping system based on determining that the water in thepipe can freeze.
 19. The method of claim 14, comprising: transmittingthe data corresponding to the alert by transferring the information to agateway using a wireless network of the communication network andtransferring the information from the gateway to the at least one userdevice using at least one of a cellular network and an IP-based networkof the communication network.
 20. The method of claim 14, comprising:presenting the alert using at least one of a web browser-based dashboarddisplay and an app-based dashboard display.